Hollyleaf's Challenge
by Stormikat
Summary: After Hollyleaf lives through the tunnel collapse, she goes to a different forest and raises two kits that will one day try to take over the clans in an effort to restore the code to Hollyleaf's idea. Finished
1. Allegiances

Hey everyone. This is the Allegiance page. The story inside has not changed, I'm just adding this for anyone who's interested in the cats and who's who. If you have already read Hollyleaf's Challenge you can read this for your own enjoyment. To people that haven't read Hollyleaf's Challenge: read it NOW! (tip: all voting has been closed, don't go to my profile, they won't be there.)

Older cats come first. So senior warriors, younger warriors, she-cats who have been queens longer and have kits, then the ones that just got in the nursery. Older apprentices, younger apprentices, elders-- oldest to recent. Of course I might have made a mistake, but as much as I could gather from the allegiances in the books, here it is:

**ThunderClan**

**Leader**  
Firestar-- ginger tom with a flame-colored pelt

**Deputy**  
Brambleclaw-- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

**Medicine Cat**

Jayfeather-- gray tabby tom  
_apprentice:_ Toadheart-- black and white tom

**Warriors**

Graystripe-- long-haired gray tom

Sandstorm-- pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

Dustpelt-- dark brown tabby tom

Brackenfur-- golden brown tabby tom

Ferncloud-- pale gray (with darker flecks) she-cat with green eyes

Cloudtail-- long-haired white tom with blue eyes  
_apprentice:_ Lighteningpaw

Thornclaw-- golden brown tabby tom  
_apprentice:_ Shadepaw

Millie-- striped gray tabby she-cat, former kittypet

Squirrelflight-- dark ginger she-cat with green eyes

Whitewing-- white she-cat with green eyes

Spiderleg-- long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Poppyfrost-- tortoiseshell she-cat

Birchfall-- light brown tabby tom

Hazeltail-- small gray and white she-cat

Berrynose-- cream-colored tom

Cinderheart-- gray tabby she-cat  
_apprentice:_ Firepaw

Lionblaze-- golden tabby tom with amber eyes  
_apprentice:_ Pricklepaw

Icefang-- white she-cat

Briarclaw-- dark brown she-cat.

Bumblethroat-- very pale gray tom with black stripes

Rosewing-- dark cream she-cat

Dovetooth-- gray frosted she-cat (?)

Ivyflight-- light tabby she-cat (?)

Ledgewalker-- brown tom

Redstrike-- small brown she-cat with ginger spots

**Apprentices**

Firepaw-- bright ginger she-cat

Pricklepaw-- light tortoiseshell tom with brown tips

Shadepaw-- dark gray she-cat with a white spot on her tail

Lighteningpaw-- swift black she-cat with cream-colored stripes on her legs

**Queens**

Daisy-- cream long-furred she-cat from the horseplace, in charge of nursery

Sorreltail-- tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes, mother of Brackenfur's two kits: Owlkit (long-haired silver tom with large white face) and Beaverkit (brown tom with black and white tortoiseshell spotting

Brightheart-- white she-cat with ginger patches, half of her face is scarred

**Elders**

Longtail-- pale tabby tom with dark black stripes, retired early due to failing sight

**  
WindClan**

**Leader**  
Onestar-- brown tabby tom

**Deputy**

Ashfoot-- gray she-cat  
_apprentice:_ Whistlepaw

**Medicine Cat**  
Kestrelwing-- mottled gray tom

**Warriors**

Owlwhisker--light brown tabby tom

Whitetail-- small white she-cat  
_apprentice: _Meadowpaw

Gorsetail-- very pale gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Nightcloud-- black she-cat

Harespring-- brown and white tom

Leaftail-- dark tabby tom with amber eyes

Willowclaw-- gray she-cat  
_apprentice:_ Fennelpaw

Emberfoot-- gray tom with two dark paws

Breezepelt-- black tom with amber eyes

Thistlefur-- long-haired white tom

Sedgewing-- light brown tabby she-cat

Sunfrost-- tortoiseshell she-cat with large white mark on her forehead

**Apprentices**

Fennelpaw-- gray she-cat with a fluffy tail

Meadowpaw-- white she-cat with red, gray, and brown tabby spots

Whistlepaw-- golden tortoiseshell tom

**Queens**

Dewspots-- spotted gray tabby she-cat, mother of Emberfoot's one kit: Cricketkit (black tom with long legs)

Heathertail-- light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes, mother of Breezepelt's three kits: Fadekit (black she-cat with gray points and amber eyes), Silverkit (silver tabby tom with green eyes), and Goldkit (brown tom with golden tail, legs, and head with amber eyes)

**Elders **

Webfoot--dark gray tabby tom, oldest in the Clan

Tornear-- tabby tom

**  
RiverClan**

**Leader**  
Leopardstar-- unusually spotted golden tabby she-cat

**Deptuy**  
Mistyfoot-- gray she-cat with blue eyes

**Medicine Cat**  
Mothwing-- dappled golden she-cat  
_apprentice:_ Willowshine-- gray tabby she-cat

**Warriors**

Blackclaw-- smokey black tom

Mosspelt-- tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes  
_apprentice:_ Ripplepaw

Reedwhisker-- black tom

Beechfur-- light brown tom

Rippletail-- dark gray tabby tom

Graymist-- pale gray tabby  
_apprentice:_ Weavingpaw

Dapplenose-- mottled gray she-cat

Mintfur-- light gray tabby tom

Pinefur-- very short-haired tabby she-cat

Rainstorm-- mottled gray-blue tom  
_apprentice:_ Shimmerpaw

Icewing-- white she-cat with blue eyes

Cooperpool-- dark ginger she-cat

Robintail-- tortoiseshell and white tom  
_apprentice:_ Lightpaw

Pebblepelt-- mottled gray tom  
_apprentice:_ Fishpaw

Nettlemark-- dark brown tabby tom

Mallowheart-- light brown tabby tom

Minnowflower-- dark gray she-cat

Grassfoot-- pale brown tom (?)

Beetlewing-- odd bluish-gray tom with brown paws (?)

Petalstripe-- gray she-cat with light-colored stripes (?)

**Apprentices**

Ripplepaw-- gray tom with white paws and dark gray stripes along his body

Weavingpaw-- golden tabby she-cat

Lightpaw-- white she-cat with one brown paw

Fishpaw-- gray tom with a white stripe on his back

Shimmerpaw-- white she-cat with gray flecks that shine in the sun

**Queens**

Otterheart-- dark brown she-cat, mother of Blackclaw's two kits: Flowerkit (tortoishell she-cat) and Bigkit (large dark brown tom with black stripes)

Dawnflower-- pale gray she-cat, mother of Beechfur's three kits: Cloudkit (pale gray tom), Mudkit (pale brown she-cat), and Duckkit (dark gray tom with light brown tail and green eyes)

**Elders**

Swallowtail-- dark tabby she-cat

Stonestream--gray tom

**  
ShadowClan**

**Leader**  
Blackstar-- elderly large white tom with huge jet-black paws

**Deputy **  
Kinkfur-- tabby she-cat with long fur that sticks out at all angles

**Medicine Cat**  
Littlecloud-- very small tabby tom  
_apprentice:_ Flamestreak-- ginger tom

**Warriors**

Oakfur-- small brown tom

Rowanclaw-- ginger tom

Snaketail-- dark brown tom with tabby striped tail  
_apprentice:_ Batpaw

Tigerstripe-- dark brown tabby tom

Dawncloud-- cream-furred she-cat

Scorchtree-- dark gray tom  
_apprentice:_ Needlepaw

Redsky-- mottled brown and ginger tom

Olivespot-- tortoiseshell she-cat

**Apprentices**

Needlepaw-- dark brown tom, has spiked fur

Batpaw-- gray she-cat with large ears and a black tail

**Queens**

Snowbird-- pure white she-cat, mother of Scorchtree's three kits: Stonekit (gray tabby tom), Eveningkit (dark gray, almost black, she-cat with dusted ginger belly and chest), and Fernkit (light tabby she-cat)

Ivytail-- black, white, and tortoiseshell she-cat, mother of Tigerstripe's unborn kits

**Elders**

Tallpoppy--long-legged light brown tabby she-cat

**  
Cats outside the Clans**

Hollyleaf-- black she-cat with green eyes

Dewstep-- small gray tom with one white front paw, has green eyes

Darkfire-- powerful black tom with very faint stripes, has yellow eyes

Raven-- dark tortoiseshell tom. Has orange eyes.

Raven's rouges-- look at profile for complete list (that list is still there)

Sol-- white-and-brown tabby long-haired tom with pale yellow eyes

Leafpool-- light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Crowfeather-- dark gray tom

* * *

(?)-- means it's a real cat the Erins created, but I don't know what it looks like.


	2. Chapter 1 The Kits

_Disclamer: I do not own warriors._

_Basically this story is about Hollyleaf's plan to take over the clans through her sons. This is based off of the theory she lived through the tunnel collapse. Unfortunatly I have not read Sunrise. The local library is strange because it has been over a month and still the book is not there. Anyway, I have my knowledge from Youtube. (Hurray for Youtube!) Sorry for any mistakes or out of characterness the cats might experience. Please tell me your thoughts in reviews._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Chapter One**

He left her after the kits were born. After he thought they were old enough for her to take care of on her own. Hollyleaf didn't care. He was a rouge anyway and he'd only been her mate for a little while. Her affections for him had dimmed over the moons and when he finally left she didn't notice at first. She did notice when she got hungry. There was no one to hunt for her. Not like it would have been in the clan. She had no one to hunt for her, to help her get enough strength to raise her two kits. She was on her own since her exile.

Hollyleaf had been frightened when tunnels collapsed. She hadn't been expecting it and had gotten lost in the dark. After a while she'd found her way out another entrance on the moorlands of WindClan. Maybe she'd been guided out. It had felt like another cat walked beside her in the dark.

Hollyleaf glanced once back toward home and then ran off, unknowingly on the same path her traitorous parents took. She ran away from the clans. She'd almost killed her real mother and had already killed Ashfur. She knew Firestar would have cast her out anyway. So she left them all behind. She figured she could make a new life away from it all. Away from her shame.

She ran far and for many days. She went over a thunderpath, crossed a stream, and into another forest that reminded her of the ThunderClan territory. It had lush undergrowth and tall trees with climbable branches. Her first day there had been to find herself a home. She'd managed, building a nest inside a briar bush where she figured no other animal (fox, badger, or dog) would attack her. Then she'd gone hunting. She'd spent days alone until she spotted another cat. She'd stalked him, wanting him out of her territory. Didn't he know scent markers when he smelled them? Finally she found a spot to ambush him. She crouched in the grass, lowering her body. She would tear him for even thinking about taking her territory and her prey. She might not be in a clan, but she still kept the clan code. She hissed low as he came closer. The tom stopped and looked around. His ears twitched. He'd heard her. He started to tilt his head to scent the air when Hollyleaf struck.

"Snake!" he yelled in fear, turning to run away. Hollyleaf caught his back legs in her claw tips, but he was already out of reach before she could get a secure hold.  
She looked around, searching for the snake he'd seen. She didn't want to get bit, not after what had happened to Honeyfern. And out here, there was no medicine cat to take care of her. She could only use the small amount she remembered from her apprentice days when she'd tried to become a medicine cat.

Hollyleaf turned around, searching for the snake. She didn't see one. She spat in annoyance. He'd tricked her. It was probably something he always did, the coward. Then a scent came toward her on the breeze. She looked up. There was the same tortoiseshell tom. He peered down at her from a low branch.

"Get off of my territory!" she yowled at him. Her claws came out. He widened his eyes.

"I'll go," he told her. He was about to jump off of the branch when he looked back at her. "Where did you come from?" he asked. "I've walked through these woods before and never seen another cat here."

Hollyleaf wanted him to go, but he needed to know it was her territory now. "I'm from the clans," she told him. She vaguely twitched her tail in the direction she'd come from. "This is my territory now, so get off of it, Rouge."

He still seemed reluctant to leave. She jumped up beside him, her front legs extended to rip him up. He jumped down quickly and backed away.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked.

"Why are you staying?" she retorted, jumping down. "I told you this was mine, so get off."

But he was interested, "What are the clans?"

Hollyleaf paused. She knew of many cats that didn't know about the clans. She'd even gone off and visited a few. Did he come from a group of cats like the Tribe? Was there something she could join so she didn't have to live alone?

"We are cats that live by the warrior code. They live by the lake," she meowed.

"What's the warrior code?"

So she told him. She told him how good it was and how her clan was disobeying it. How her parents had disobeyed it. She told him about StarClan and the ancestors that watched over the clans. She told him how she'd left the clans, but not why. Eventually she was done, and all thoughts of attacking him had left her. It was then they'd become mates for a time. They'd been attracted to each other and they'd helped each other live through leafbare. Then he'd left.

"That doesn't matter, now does it?" she asked her two kits as they huddled next to her, drinking milk, as of yet, unable to be completely safe without her. Their pelts mixed together into a swirl of color. The tom had left her in a bad situation. That's what comes of having rouges as mates, she snorted. Why had she even fallen for him? It was against the code. But she had told herself it didn't matter. She wasn't a member of a clan anymore and it didn't matter who she loved. Now she knew she was wrong. The code was everything. It always would be, whether she was still a clan member or not.

"I'll take care of you," she whispered to her kits. She nosed the black one. He looked just like her except for his yellow eyes. His brother was a silver grey with one white front paw. He had green eyes like her. Luckily none looked like her one-time mate. She didn't ever want to remember him.

"In time, you will be the greatest," she meowed to her kits. "You will restore the code." She was already looking to their futures'. She had a plan for them and she was sure it was something StarClan would approve of.

"I welcome you into the world," she whispered to them. It was a naming ceremony that would have welcomed kits into the clan, but she was alone. "As mother of these kits, I present them before StarClan to accept them and help them learn the warrior code. I name you Darkkit and Dewkit."

The two brothers didn't answer. They were sleeping now. Hollyleaf looked around her nest. It was time she went hunting.


	3. Chapter 2 Aprenticeship

_Disclamer: Once again, I do not own the warrior books._

_If you liked the first chapter, review. If you like this chapter, review. If I get enough support, I might finish the story._

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"Darkkit, from now on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Darkpaw." Hollyleaf said, staring down at her firstborn. She was perched on the low branch she'd first met their father. It made the perfect place to call a clan meeting.

"Dewkit, from now on until you receive your warrior name you will be known as Dewpaw."

The green-eyed tom nodded to her. Then Hollyleaf jumped off of the branch. It was now time for them to learn the code. She'd been teaching them off and on over the six moons. Now it was official and she'd be doing it the clan way. She just wished there was another cat to teach them. Managing the two kits had been hard.  
She'd only left them alone if she thought they'd stay safe.

They'd all been thin, because she could only catch so much prey before returning to the nest to check on them. Eventually she'd taken them hunting with her. That had been harder, for the rambunctious kits had scared away most of the prey. Soon they'd learned to stay quiet and how then how to hunt by watching her. They were very good for their age and Hollyleaf wasn't sad they'd learned before becoming apprentices. It would help her concentrate on battle training. She hoped they'd one day be as good as her brother, Lionblaze.

"Dewpaw," she told him. "Go on a hunting patrol. Remember, don't eat anything until queens and kits are fed. You are no longer a kit and I am a queen no more, but we will keep the code. When Darkpaw and I return, we will eat."

Dewpaw nodded and he went off. Hollyleaf knew he could catch prey on his own. She'd taught both kits well.

Now she turned to Darkpaw. "I'll show you the extent of our territory." It was procedure. What a typical first day of training would be like, but both of her kits had seen it before when she'd patrolled, taking them with her. But now the territory edges would be seen in a different light. The new apprentices would be making their own scent markers. There would also be a chance to chase away rouges. Three grownup cats might also manage a badger or a fox, but that was moons away.

So Hollyleaf and Darkpaw walked Hollyleaf's territory. It started at the edge of the forest and deep into the dark interior filled with tangling vines and tree limbs. Hollyleaf didn't need much land because she did not belong to a clan, and that made the patrol easy.

Darkpaw faithfully padded behind her, silent as he'd been taught to be. They'd had to stay safe so both kits had quickly learned to be quiet. No badger, fox, rouge, or twoleg would find them from their playful squeaks.

After circling the territory, and meeting up once with Dewpaw, Hollyleaf brought Darkpaw to a sandy area by a stream.

"We will learn to fight here," Hollyleaf told him. "Every day after patrolling if you re not hunting."

"Yes, Hollyleaf," Darkpaw nodded.

"Now attack me," she told him. She didn't have any hope of him doing it well. She simply never taught her kits battling. But perhaps they'd watched the few times she'd defended them from rouges.

Darkpaw lifted one foot, set it down, and then launched himself at her. Hollyleaf effortlessly sidestepped away from him. She was surprised when he quickly turned around and caught one of her legs, tripping her. He stood above her. His yellow eyes, gazing at her without emotion. She was momentarily shocked, but she recovered, rolling over to jump on top of him. He was flattened and the battle was quickly over.

"You are fast," she praised him. "Good."

Darkpaw smiled, his eyes lighting up, a quick purr from him. Hollyleaf now knew he'd been truly fighting before. Survival had hardened her family in times of trouble.  
After that bout she led him step by step through attacks. He was sore by the time the sunhigh patrol came around. Hollyleaf was as well. She hadn't realized that she missed training so much and that she'd stopped doing it. Teaching her son had been stimulating for her mind and body.

After the patrol, Hollyleaf led Darkpaw back to camp. Dewpaw was sitting in the shade of a berry bush. He was staring at the food pile. Hollyleaf could already hear his growling stomach. She realized she'd taken too long. He must have been starving. So would Darkpaw. She suddenly felt her own hunger pains.

"You've caught a wonderful amount," she praised him. He nodded, and licked his lips, waiting.

"Darkpaw, take a piece," she nodded. Darkpaw picked up two mice and Hollyleaf took a blue bird. She nodded to Dewpaw for his turn. He took the remaining freshkill, a vole. They sat together, eating. Munching was the only sound in the small clearing. Hollyleaf missed the chatter of the clan. It was too quiet here. Only a few birds could be heard in the distance.

After the meal, they shared tongues and napped for a while. Now it was Dewpaw's training time.

She quickly called him away, telling Darkpaw to hunt for a while.

"This is where we will train when you aren't hunting or patrolling," Hollyleaf told Dewpaw when they made it to the sandy ground by the stream. He quickly nodded, looking eager to start.

"Attack me," she told him.

Dewpaw charged, not even preparing himself. Hollyleaf was startled, but she jumped away, turning as he moved after her. She rolled away when he tried to pounce on her. His claws were extended and they tore at her shoulder, but she pushed him away with her back legs. He landed in a heap over by the stream. He quickly stood up.

Hollyleaf watched as he flicked his tail toward his face. It dripped stream water. She relaxed, knowing he wasn't going to attack again.

"Eww," Dewpaw muttered, quickly licking his tail.

"You know, RiverClan can swim," she meowed to him, walking closer.

He nodded. Then looked at the small stream. "I don't think that is deep enough to try," he mewed.

"No," Hollyleaf purred. "But I'll take you and Darkpaw to the bigger one I crossed to get here," she promised. She wanted to teach them how to swim. She wanted to teach them everything they might have learned if they were in any clan. It would prepare them when they were to enter one.

Dewpaw looked eagerly at her. He wanted her to tell more stories, Hollyleaf could tell. She'd brought both sons up on the stories from the clans and her own about escaping to this forest. Dewpaw loved the stories the best though. He didn't care if he'd already heard them.

"Let's get on with training," Hollyleaf meowed, making sure he knew she was serious. "You have a good attacking style. My shoulder still hurts," she meowed, looking at it and giving it a quick lick. "Darkpaw didn't even draw blood when we trained."

Dewpaw looked proud. He then looked at his paws. The white one had blood stains on it already. He extended the claws to look closer.

"It looks just like preys'," he mewed to her.

Hollyleaf nodded. Yes cats blood was as red as a mouse's. She would know. She'd killed a cat before, and she had no doubt her sons would too one day.


	4. Chapter 3 Kit Names

_Disclaimer: (do I really have to do this all the time?) I don't own warriors, like anyone would believe I did._

_Okay, so Hollyleaf thinks her sons will kill. Are they really as crazy as she is? This chapter should lighten the mood a bit, even though its a bit short. It should also give some ideas for cat names._

_Thanks to _Featheredwing _and _Allygirl56_ for being the first reviewers!_

* * *

**Chapter 3  
**  
Dewpaw and Darkpaw hunted together. Hollyleaf was giving them a hunting assessment. She let them go wherever they wanted. Out of the forest, to the fields where mice were plentiful, or even into the deeper Tanglewood where prey was easier to sneak up on. Dewpaw and Darkpaw should have gone separately, but they wanted to stay together as they went into Tanglewood. It was the place where the badgers and the foxes lived. The place they came out of to kill little kits.  
The only reason they didn't go to the field was because of the rain, which didn't get through the dense foliage deep in the forest, and because Hollyleaf was promising to take them rabbit hunting the next day. They'd see all of the field then and going twice in a row didn't appeal to them.

"I think we should go into the trees," Dewpaw told his brother. "We can jump down on the prey then."

"You just don't want to get your paws wet," Darkpaw retorted scornfully.

Dewpaw looked sheepishly away. It was true. Dewpaw wasn't fond of any water. He wasn't looking forward to the swimming lessons Hollyleaf promised them.

"Its probably going to be even more wet," Dewpaw meowed. Usually, the floor of Tanglewood was a bog, but because of the rain, it would be overflowing. Dewpaw believed the only thing they'd catch that day would be frogs. Hollyleaf claimed ShadowClan ate them, but her sons were hesitant to even try the rubbery creatures.

"All right," Darkpaw mewed for his brother's sake. "We can use the trees."

Dewpaw quickly jumped up on a low branch. He ran gracefully on the limb until it became short. Then he jumped over to another one. This was one of the good things about Tanglewood, a cat never had to touch the ground.

"Hollyleaf should have named you Squirrelpaw, like her mother's sister," Darkpaw called out to him, higher up in another tree. Dewpaw grinned. Yes, he did love living in trees and he'd seen the squirrels jump even greater gaps then he had to. Soaring through the air like this was exhilerating.

"You should have been called Bigpaw," he teased back. Darkpaw had very large paws and that made him a bit less graceful in the trees, but he did have a better grip. The trees were a bit damp and Dewpaw had to use his claws to hang on.

Later on, after catching one bird, Darkpaw walked next to Dewpaw on a large branch. "I want to name my kits Sunkit, Moonkit, and Cloudkit."

"You don't have any kits," Dewpaw pointed out.

"But if I had a mate and we had kits," Darkpaw meowed. "If you did too, what would you name them?"

"I'd name them tree names," Dewpaw meowed after thinking. "Cherrykit, Applekit, Birchkit, Oakkit, Willowkit, Peachkit...." he continued to name the trees he knew. When Hollyleaf wasn't around, the two toms could talk a lot. Even if she was watching them from somewhere, as they attempted to fulfill their assessment, they couldn't actually see her, so they chatted like birds.

"Those are a lot of kits," Darkpaw finally said.

Dewpaw smiled. He knew his mate wasn't likely to have that many.

"And if you had a lot more than three kits?" he asked Darkpaw.

"Ebbkit and Flowkit," Darkpaw answered.

"Risingkit and Fallingkit," Dewpaw mewed right after.

"Fastkit, Lightningkit, and Stripekit," Darkpaw said, getting louder.

"Toms don't usually name the kits," Hollyleaf said, suddenly appearing.

Her sons jumped in surprise. They hadn't even noticed her at all. They hadn't noticed anything for a while. They'd given up on hunting and Hollyleaf had seen that. They'd also scared away most of the prey in the area by talking so much.

"The queens do," she continued, joining them on the branch. Her muddy paws left marks on the rough bark. "Of course the tom might persuade her on a few names."  
Dewpaw and Darkpaw looked up at her, waiting to hear their punishment for not hunting. They realized they had done things wrong from the start. They shouldn't have gone together. Bad things usually happened then. They got so distracted that they forgot what they were doing. Once Dewpaw had fallen into a hole and another time Darkpaw had run into a badger. When they went separate, they got more accomplished.

"Let's go back to camp," Hollyleaf told them. "It wasn't a good day for hunting anyway. The rain has all the prey in their burrows, like we should be. Tomorrow should be better."

The two apprentices nodded and followed after her as she led them back from camp. They d gone deep into Tanglewood and Dewpaw realized he wouldn't have remembered the way out if he'd been alone or Hollyleaf hadn't come to get him and Darkpaw.

"Sourkit and Sweetkit," Darkpaw whispered into his brother's ear.

Hollyleaf's ear twitched as her sons snickered behind her. She couldn't stop a smile from lighting her own face. She could remember the days she and her brothers had laughed together. She was glad her sons like each other and were close. It would keep them from arguing after the code was reestablished in the clans. Not like she'd suspected Hawkfrost and Brambleclaw would have done had they succeeded with Tigerstar's plan.


	5. Chapter 4 Rabbit Hunting

_Disclaimer: Hey it's the person that doesn't own Warriors again!_

_I don't really have anything to say this time, so read._

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 4**

"You have to be quiet when stalking a rabbit," Hollyleaf meowed. "I know it will be harder to hide in the grass, but you have WindClan blood in you, so you should be fast." She hoped they were at least, because if they weren't, they probably wouldn't have food that day. It was still drizzling from dark clouds. She briefly looked up, water running into her eyes. Her fur was plastered to her body and she felt uncomfortable. Why was she doing this? she suddenly wondered. No prey was likely to be out.

Darkpaw shook his body. Some water came out, leaving clumps in his fur. Hollyleaf could make out faint stripes on his pelt. Even Dewpaw looked different in the rain. His fur was a dark grey and his white paw stood out while his body seemed to fade into the background. Hollyleaf had a feeling he could sneak up on prey in the rain even if he didn't like the water.

"Show me the position for stalking," Hollyleaf ordered. Her sons quickly huddled down and began to creep though the short grass of the field. They got even more wet as they brushed through the greenery. Suddenly Darkpaw sneezed. A rabbit exploded from a nearby bush, where it had been hiding from the rain, startled by the sneeze. Dewpaw glanced once at Hollyleaf and then took off after it. Darkpaw quickly got up as well to give chase. Hollyleaf rose on her back legs to watch them run over the field in a zigzag pattern. As they ran, they scared up other animals that had been hiding from the rain. She was proud that her boys couldn't be distracted, but at the same time frustrated. They should have gone after the easier prey. The rabbit was getting away. It was too fast for them. Darkpaw was close to it, but he was getting tired.

Hollyleaf sighed when the rabbit disappeared down a hole, far down the field. She got onto her feet and quickly trotted toward her sons. She got there to see them digging at the burrow.

"You'll never get far enough," she told them. "Those things are deep."

Darkpaw's tail lashed in annoyance. "I almost had it. It tripped once and I scratched its leg, but it found the hole."

"It's all right," Hollyleaf soothed. "This happens on occasion. Even to the best hunter."

Dewpaw flopped down. He wasn't going to try any more. The wet weather was making him testy. Even what his mother was saying didn't help. Also, if they had WindClan blood, why weren't they better at rabbit hunting? WindClan were supposed to be the swiftest cats around. He and his brother couldn't even catch up to that rabbit. Its own tripping had given Darkpaw the advantage. Besides he'd seen it first, why did Darkpaw assume it was his?

"What now?" Darkpaw asked in the silence. The rain suddenly picked up. There wasn't any chance of catching anything now.

"We could try fishing," Hollyleaf meowed tiredly. She didn't know if fish were even affected by the rain. It was water too, so she didn't think rain would bother them at all. They were probably waiting to be caught.

She led the way to the stream. It was far away from their forest and they were all tired when they got there. She peered into the water, hoping to see something near the rocks.

"I want to go home," Dewpaw moaned. He slumped on the bank, staring dejectedly into the stream.

"The clan has to be fed," Hollyleaf snapped at him. His behavior was starting to irk her. He might not like the rain, but neither did she. They also hadn't had anything to eat that whole day and she was hungry. She wanted the fish.

"There isn't any clan," he hissed back. "There's only three of us! Our father isn't even here with us!"

Hollyleaf stared back at him. How dare he bring up that rouge. She'd wanted to forget him and the way he made her break the code. She hadn't regretted her two sons since she'd kitted them, but now she wondered if they too were a mistake. If they didn't listen to her any longer, then what was the point in training them? They were supposed to fix the warrior code, not go off on their own and become rouges like their fool of a father!

"We might not be a clan, but we should still live like one!" she growled back at him, lowering her body.

Dewpaw recognized the crouch and jumped away in time. He realized he'd gotten Hollyleaf mad. He was suddenly scared. He hadn't meant to do that. He'd simply stated his opinion.

Hollyleaf was surprised when she started slipping into the stream. The muddy bank was giving away. Half of her body entered the water. She shrieked, startled. Her back legs kicked as she tried to get back onto the bank. Her front paws scrambled at the mud, but couldn't get a grip. She started moving with the current.

"Hollyleaf!" Darkpaw cried, standing up. He tried to grab for her, but she slipped away.

Hollyleaf realized the stream had grown with all the rain. It was higher than usual. She kicked out, trying to swim like RiverClan. A memory came back to her.

_They were in the tunnels and the water was rising. It was dark and the kits were crying in fear. Jayfeather claimed he knew the way out, but he was blind, how was he supposed to know the way? She followed after him, a kit in her jaws. The water kept rising. They came to an area where they had to slip the kits through a narrow way. Hollyleaf and the others came after, but now they were fully immersed. She couldn't breathe! The kits couldn't breathe! The water was all around them.  
_  
Hollyleaf snapped out as Darkpaw called her name again. She was farther from him. Her sons ran along the bank, trying to catch up, trying to save her. The current was too fast for them, like the rabbit had been.

Suddenly Hollyleaf slammed into a rock. The breath went out of her. She was pressed up against the smooth stone and was starting to slip around it. She extended her claws and tried to hold on. She had to get on top of this rock. It was still a bit out of the water. She knew this was her last chance. If she didn't get out now, she was likely to drown.

Then Darkpaw was on top of the rock. It wasn't too far to jump to from the bank. The stream wasn't very wide, but it was deep.

Darkpaw reached down and took his mother's scruff into his mouth. He pulled her soggy body out of the pressing water. It took all of his strength, but she was finally there. They shivered and panted on the rock. They were both scared and exhausted.

"The water is still rising," Dewpaw warned them.

Darkpaw took his exhausted mother and pulled her to the edge of the rock.

"You have to jump," he told her.

Hollyleaf nodded. She knew it. She bunched her legs and launched to the bank. Dewpaw was there and he quickly helped her to higher ground. Darkpaw soon joined them.

"I'm sorry," Dewpaw mewed, rubbing against her, trying to warm her.

"It's okay," Hollyleaf soothed. She knew he was and she was sorry she'd overreacted. He'd had a point. They were no clan. Once she'd thought about creating one. The forest was a perfect place. But she gave up that thought. Why would StarClan want to follow her out there? How would she even be given the nine lives of a leader? There had been no way, so she'd given up that dream, and had cultivated the one of returning to the lake. It was the only option left to her and her sons.

"Let's get back to camp," Hollyleaf said as her sons licked her clean. "We aren't going to catch anything today."

They slowly made their way back to the forest. Hollyleaf wondered how she'd ever convince them to learn how to swim now.

* * *

**AWWW, and you all wanted her to die!**

**She can't die yet. She still hasn't sent them off to the clans yet. A few more chapters and they should get there.**


	6. Chapter 5 Swimming Lesson

_Diclaimer: No, I don't own Warriors. You all know that already._

_I first started thinking of this story after I listened to Mordred's Lullaby and saw some youtube videos of it that involved Warriors. This is pretty much Hollyleaf goal: to get revenge and fix the code. She also poisons her sons' minds to get them to believe her point of view. Now you know where the story comes from. Read on._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

It wasn't as difficult as Hollyleaf thought it would be. She came back to the stream on a day it was low. She first taught them how to catch fish. She wasn't very good at it, but she'd been taught that time RiverClan hadn't let her go home. She helped her sons with the basics and then hoped that if they got into RiverClan, they'd be taught better.

"Look at this!" Dewpaw cried out, staring into the water.

Darkpaw and Hollyleaf came over. They peered in with him. Hollyleaf made out a strange creature crawling around the rocks. It reminded her of an insect, but it had large front paws that looked like claws.

Dewpaw put his paw into the water. The creature moved faster than Hollyleaf was expecting. It darted under a rock. They couldn't see it anymore.

"I wonder if it'd taste good," Dewpaw meowed, flicking the water from his paw.

"If you like eating bugs," Darkpaw muttered. Obviously he'd thought the same thing as Hollyleaf had.

"Try and catch one then," she encouraged. She doubted it was possible. They'd only caught two fish and the rest had swum away so they couldn't get any more. They all were a bit hungry, but that was typical for them. "While you re doing that, it's time to swim."

Dewpaw looked at her with wide frightened eyes, remembering her narrow escape. Darkpaw seemed interested. She felt he was the one most likely to succeed. It had been a few moons since their apprentice ceremony, and Darkpaw had been ready for anything. Dewpaw was the only one to show reluctance with anything but battle training.

"You just get into the water," she said, demonstrating. She felt nervous in the water. The current rushing through her fur in a cold feather-like touch. She slowly went deeper, until it touched her belly. "It should just be like walking."

She wondered if it really was. The only cat in ThunderClan who'd swam was Cinderheart when she'd had to strengthen her leg. It had been Jayfeather's idea.  
Hollyleaf lifted her feet from the pebbly bottom and felt herself drift with the current. Her heart felt stilled in her chest. Was she really doing this? She started moving her legs, fighting against the current, stabilizing herself. Her back end bumped into a rock. Her back legs braced against it and she stopped moving by placing her front feet back on the streambed.

Her sons looked at her. They seemed to be in shock.

"Come on," she encouraged. "Once you learn this, you don't have to do it again unless you're in RiverClan."

Darkpaw shared a glance with Dewpaw and then slipped into the water. He walked to the middle of the stream where more rocks gathered. Then he tried swimming. Hollyleaf was breathless as he managed to kick forward, against the current. He was doing it!

"Come on," Darkpaw called to his brother, after setting down his legs to stand up. "If you come in, I'll let you name your kit Splashkit!"

Hollyleaf wondered what that was about. Were they still talking about naming nonexistent kits? She shivered in the water. It was starting to get cold. She moved her legs to keep warm. Her fur was wet and she didn't like the feeling anymore. She wondered how RiverClan managed to get the water to roll off of them.

Dewpaw paced on the bank. Finally he entered the water. He stood in the water and shivered. Hollyleaf could tell he didn't want to go further. And the water was just up to his knees. Slowly he let himself get deeper. His paws stumbled over the rocks. He didn't get as far into the water as Darkpaw, but it was getting deep for him. Hollyleaf realized Dewpaw was small for his age. She hadn't noticed before, perhaps because there were no other kits to compare him to. Now she realized he was a short cat.

Suddenly Dewpaw slipped underwater. His head disappeared. Hollyleaf sprang away from her rock to get him. She didn't want him slipping downstream. Darkpaw was there before her. He plunged his head under the water and grabbed his brother. Dewpaw sputtered. Darkpaw set him on his feet, closer to the bank.

"You look like a fish," he meowed.

Dewpaw spat more water. "I feel like one," he answered, closing his eyes.

"You don't need to be scared of the water," Hollyleaf said, standing with her sons. "It isn't dangerous right now. You can always jump on a rock to get away from it. Try again. If you don't then I can't make you into a warrior."

That got to him. Dewpaw wanted to be a warrior. He didn't want to stay an apprentice forever. He got back into the water, not caring how wet his fur was. He lifted his legs, and as the stream slowly pulled him away from his family, he kicked his legs. It was easier than he thought it be. Probably it was because he knew the ground was so near. He could stop swimming when he wanted. He did dread going into deeper or faster water. He knew he'd never like RiverClan.

"Good," Hollyleaf purred. "Keep practicing. You too, Darkpaw. I'll see if I can find more fish." She really just didn't want to get back in. For a moment she wondered if that was wrong of her. She was forcing her sons to do this and she was reluctant to even try again. Then she stopped that emotion. It was for the best. Her sons were learning and this was the only way.

Hollyleaf took off to find something for them to eat.

Darkpaw swam next to his brother on the deeper side. Soon their legs started to ache.

"What clan would you like to be in?" Dewpaw panted.

Darkpaw was silent. "None of them," he finally mewed.

Dewpaw glanced over and stopped swimming. He stood up to relax.

"Why?"

"I don't see the point in joining any of them."

"But we have to. We have to restore the code." That was the one thing Hollyleaf continued to tell them.

"The clans have existed this far with their code," Darkpaw argued. "They've been disobeying it all the time, yet StarClan hasn't punished them yet. I don't see the  
point in us going over to fix it."

Dewpaw was silent. He'd never thought of it that way. Was his brother truly right? Was Hollyleaf wrong?

* * *

**Hey, who can guess which cat I created Dewpaw to look like? If you do, then I'll put up the next chapter. And in that chapter is the warrior ceremony!!!**


	7. Chapter 6 Warrior Names

_Disclaimer: I only own my room and the books within it._

_I've got to thank _Mudfur6264 _for the warrior's guide. I couldn't have done the ceremony without it._

_No one wanted to guess who Dewstep was supposed to look like :( Oh well, it doesn't matter, it doesn't affect his personality. Anyway I was getting impatient. I just want to put this up!_

_Thanks to my reviewers: _Allygirl56, Ghost Jay, Crazedreader96, and Danielovitch_._

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Here we are, gathered beneath the Low Branch," Hollyleaf called out into the lonely clearing as she sat upon the mentioned branch. "It is time to make warriors."

The full moon and the setting sun competed to light the clearing. The trees were painted in shades of violet, red, and silver. It was the end of newleaf and Hollyleaf's kits were fifteen moons old. They'd trained in every Clan technique she could think of. They'd learned to swim, catch rabbits, climb trees, stalk through the undergrowth, fight, and even some medicine cat ways. Hollyleaf had also taught them how to hunt like Tribe cats. They'd learned how to wait for hawks to descend to earth and then to jump on the backs of the giant birds, catching more prey than they normally would. Her sons were the best cats around. They hadn't gone hungry for a while now.

There the brothers sat beneath her, their eyes glowing in the dark. They were eager and excited.

Darkpaw had grown into a large, muscled cat with long legs like his WindClan heritage. He was handsome and extremely loyal to her.

Dewpaw was still small. He didn't grow any larger than an apprentice. He was thin and sleek. He'd also turned into a good swimmer, finally getting over his aversion to water, much to Hollyleaf's surprise. He also was loyal to her. She knew that when she sent her sons off, they would do what she'd prepared them to do.

"I, Hollyleaf, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice," Hollyleaf meowed in a not so traditional ceremony. She certainly wasn't a leader of anything and had no real business assigning warrior names. "He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Darkpaw," she meowed, looking at him, "do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Darkpaw looked up at her, his gaze steady. "I do."

Hollyleaf knew it. She'd taught the code to him well. Even if they couldn't do everything in it, her sons knew it and understood it fully enough to apply it in any Clan that accepted them.

"Then by the powers of StarClan," Hollyleaf continued, wincing even as she said it, knowing she didn't have the right to say it. "I give you your warrior name, Darkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Darkfire. StarClan honors your loyalty and your strength." Now Hollyleaf went fully off of the usual ceremony. "You will be the fire that will cleanse the Clans and restore the code. You are named for your grandfather, the great Firestar, and I know that you too will become as well known as he."

Darkfire looked up at her with such pride and when she jumped down, he gratefully licked her shoulder as he'd been taught to do.

"Darkfire, I welcome you as a new warrior. Make me proud."

He purred a yes.

Now Hollyleaf turned to his brother.

"I, Hollyleaf, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Dewpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Dewpaw nodded, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name," Hollyleaf smiled at him as she let the words flow more easily. "Dewpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Dewstep. StarClan honors your courage and your endurance. You will be the refreshing water that brings together cats and gives life back into the code as the Clans follow after your example."

She rested her head upon his, and he licked her shoulder. She could feel him shake.

When she stepped away from her sons, she noticed the quiet. It was so still in the clearing. Night had fully fallen and the moon glowed brightly. There were only shadows surrounding them. There was no one to welcome her sons as new warriors. There was no shouting, no congratulations. Hollyleaf suddenly felt small. She didn't even know if StarClan knew her sons were warriors now. Would the starry warriors really watch out for her sons?

"You will sit vigil tonight," Hollyleaf told them quietly, now subdued and no longer as proud as she had been. The glorious moment had been ruined. She could no longer even look at her sons. There had been no Clan to yell out their names. They wouldn't even know rush she'd experienced when ThunderClan had roared her warrior name. "You will not speak until the dawn. You will contemplate what being a warrior is like and how you got here. Well done my sons," she purred at them. It was halting and she knew they had heard it.

Darkfire looked at her with concern, but did not say anything as she left. Dewstep looked crushed. His ears folded down and he slumped over. She knew he didn't understand her sullen feelings. It was a great moment for them. They'd finally completed their training and had learned the code. Hollyleaf still felt incomplete. She went to the briar bush they called home and stayed there. She didn't sleep at all.

**_-L-_**

Darkfire gazed up at the stars. Was StarClan really there? he wondered. They were the creators of the code and they must have been approving that two of the most loyal cats had entered in to protect it.

Darkfire's eyes moved away from the sky as he thought about other things. He was a bit worried at his mother's behavior, but he didn't let that bother him too much. He was finally a warrior. He had his new name.

Darkfire. He closed his eyes and breathed in deep. The loamy smell of the forest closed in around him. It was wonderful. Of course he didn't see how an actual fire was dark, but that didn't bother him. It was a very awesome name. Now his brother, Dewstep, didn't seem so happy.

Darkfire glanced over at the grey tom. He wasn't moving, wasn't watching anything. Darkfire wondered what was wrong. He was about to speak, he even opened his mouth, when he remembered. He wasn't allowed to speak. Suddenly Darkfire found that hard. When he and his brother were alone, they always spoke. His throat itched. He wanted to cough, to clear his throat, to even sing, but he couldn't. The silence was important.

But poor Dewstep, Darkfire thought. He wanted to cheer up his brother. He realized Hollyleaf hadn't said anything about walking, so he quickly got closer to his brother. He leaned against Dewstep's side, and let his tail brush over the smaller tom's back.

It's all right, he wanted to mew.

Dewstep looked up at him and gave a hesitantly small smile, but Darkfire could still see the sadness in his eyes. Darkfire really wondered what was wrong. Dewstep could act like Hollyleaf at times and he seemed to be sharing their mother's gloomy feelings at the moment. In the morning he would ask, Darkfire decided, and he returned his eyes upon Silverpelt.

* * *

**Okay, what do you think of the names? If you hate them, just tell me. I did have other names picked out:**

**Darkcloud, Darkmoon, Darkbreeze, Darklight, Darktail, Darkclaw, Dewpelt, Dewdrop, Dewberry, Dewclaw, Dewfang, Dewheart.**

**What name do you like better?**

**6/5/2010 EDIT: the site deleted my rows of *s between passages and I have put in -L- s instead to note change in time or other point of views.**


	8. Chapter 7 Rouge

_Disclaimer: I am not Erin Hunter so Warriors isn't mine_

_Thanks to my reviewers and thanks to those that read and don't review. I know someone's enjoying this._

* * *

**Chapter 7**

"Do you want a better name?" Darkfire asked, hurrying after Dewstep.

"No," Dewstep muttered, turning away from his brother.

"Then what is it? Stop acting like a kit and tell me!"

Dewstep continued to ignore his brother. Darkfire was starting to get annoyed. Hollyleaf had released them from their vigil that morning and told them to go hunting. It wasn't a patrol so they could eat instead of bringing it back to the briar bush. Darkfire was excited since this was his first hunt as a warrior. He found everything exciting now. It seemed like the first time for everything again. Things seemed different now that he was a warrior. He wondered if everything else in the forest knew what he was. Perhaps the mice would be easier to catch now.

"We're warriors," Darkfire meowed. "We don't need to be sad. We should be happy. What we need to do is go to Tanglewood and find the meanest badger. Then we can fight him."

Dewstep looked at his brother in shock.

"You don't want to do that?" Darkfire asked with a grin.

Dewstep shook his head.

"Please tell me," Darkfire pleaded. "You should be happy, not gloomy. Tell me what's the matter. You're almost as bad as Hollyleaf."

She'd been quiet that morning and her head and tail had been bowed as if she'd heard bad news. Darkfire still couldn't understand. She should have been proud that he and Dewstep had made it that far. But something was bothering her like it bothered Dewstep.

It seemed as if his sweet, pleading eyes had gotten to his brother. Dewstep sighed and sat down. Darkfire joined him, wrapping his tail around his paws. It must be serious, he decided.

"Hollyleaf isn't happy," Dewstep started.

_Tell me something I don't know_, Darkfire thought impatiently.

"She . . . I think she's disappointed in us," Dewstep mewed. Darkfire could hear the pain in his brother's voice.

"Why?" Darkfire blurted. He didn't think so. He'd heard pride when she named them, it was only after . . . as if something was missing.

"I don't think she trusts us to go back to the Clans and fix the code," Dewstep said.

_Really?_ Darkfire's ears twitched. He'd always assumed they would even if he didn't see the point. So did Hollyleaf not believe they'd go? Maybe she really didn't want them going at all. Maybe she wasn't looking forward to that. Darkfire couldn't imagine leaving Hollyleaf alone so maybe she couldn't imagine them leaving her.

"It's the only thing she wants," Darkfire meowed quietly. It was one of the fews things she spoke about. That and training them to fit into any Clan. But now the training was done. Darkfire wondered when they'd leave for the lake. "She trusts us all right. She trusts us to find a Clan gullible and stupid enough to take us in. She trusts us to take over and make them see the true warrior code. She's just sad to see us go. It will be the first time she's been alone since our father met her."

Dewstep's ears lifted. Darkfire knew his brother saw it his way now. He was sure Dewstep wouldn't be sad again. Except to feel bad about leaving Hollyleaf. That would definitely hurt.

"Come on," Darkfire meowed, standing up to stretch, "we should catch ourselves some fresh-kill. Then we can go find that badger."

Dewstep shared his brother's grin and they went into Tanglewood.

*******

They spotted the rouge on the second day after they were made warriors. She walked through the forest without a care in the world until Dewstep jumped off a tree branch and landed in front of her.

"Get off our land, Rouge," he snarled at her.

She seemed startled but the ginger and grey she-cat quickly recovered. Her eyes looked him up and down in an amused way.

"Go back to your mother, little cat," she laughed.

Then she started walking once more. She brushed right passed him. Her fur brushed his and she let her tail wrap around his head. Then she was gone, leaving Dewstep's head ringing. He might have been mad at her for mentioning his size (which he hadn't really noticed), but for some reason Dewstep couldn't think about her words. He could only feel her soft pelt against his. She was the first she-cat other than his mother he'd seen and that made him feel differently about her.

"I don't think you heard my brother," came Darkfire's low growl. "Get off of our territory. You've come to deep."

Dewstep turned to see her pause in front of Darkfire, who'd hidden further up the rouge's path. While Dewstep just amused her, Darkfire frightened her. He had a powerful build and his eyes seemed soulless as they gazed through her.

"I-I- wa-was only passing through," she stuttered. Her tail was lowered and her ears were half down in submission.

"I don't think you were," Darkfire continued to growl, showing his claws. "I saw you catch a bird earlier this day. On our land. You have to pay for it because what you did was against the code."

"Wh-what c-c-code?" Her amber eyes widened as his claws came toward her.

"The warrior code," Darkfire answered, striking her.

She whimpered as the claws opened her face. Darkfire's claw tips dripped blood.

Dewstep felt something stir in him. This all felt wrong. The rouge didn't realize she'd disobeyed the code and yet Darkfire was hurting her. He felt a different anger consume him. It was different from the one he'd felt when he saw the she-cat stealing prey from their land.

"Stop, Darkfire," Dewstep snarled, hurrying over to stand in front of the rouge. Darkfire lowered his paw. Then he and Dewstep jumped as the rouge ran away, crashing through the undergrowth.

"She won't be back," Darkfire meowed and started to clean his claws.

Dewstep felt horrified. His brother didn't even regret what he'd done.

"You shouldn't have hurt her," Dewstep hissed.

"She'll be all right," Darkfire meowed with a shrug. "Her looks might be ruined, but she'll heal fine."

"She didn't even know about the code!" Dewstep yelled. "You hurt her for no reason!"

Darkfire suddenly noticed his brother's strange behavior. The smaller tom's fur was on end and his eyes didn't seem to see straight.

"Calm down," Darkfire meowed, moving to touch his brother's body with his nose. "She might not have, but now she knows not to come back or to steal our prey."

"But she didn't know," Dewstep repeated. Darkfire could see the hurt in his brother's green eyes as the grey looked toward the path the rouge had made in the bushes.

Darkfire still didn't understand his brother's reaction, but he had a feeling he'd done something bad. But he shook it off. He'd done what he had too, and she was just a rouge.

"We'll be meeting cats who do know the code and yet disobey it," Darkfire meowed calmly. "We need all the practice we can get. She might not have known it, but she knows now. Come on. Let's tell Hollyleaf what we chased off a rouge."

Dewstep could only shake his head. His brother didn't understand. It made him wonder if he was the one that didn't understand. Should it matter if she knew she'd broken the code? Dewstep didn't know, but he could still feel her soft fur and smell her unique scent. He padded after his brother, some how lost in a different world where he and the she-cat had three kits. It suddenly didn't matter that that would be against the code. The code wasn't that important.


	9. Chapter 8 Saying Goodbye

_Disclaimer: Warriors is an Erin Hunter production._

_Thanks to my reviewers. Thanks to _Brackenfurlover_ for making a guess, but no, Dewstep is not meant to look like Jayfeather, but I can see the resemblance, maybe the Clans will too...._

***********************************Stupid line refused to go here***********************************************************************

**Chapter 8**

Hollyleaf praised them for chasing off the rouge. They'd done well. She now knew it was time for them to have their first warrior mission. It was time for them to go to the Clans.

"This day you are going to the lake," Hollyleaf declared.

Her sons looked at her, their faces suddenly blank.

"Now?" Darkfire asked.

Hollyleaf nodded. "Now is good," she meowed. "You shouldn't have to wait until tomorrow. If we keep doing that, then I don't think I'd ever let you go." She suddenly choked. She would miss her sons.

She'd thought about them leaving all yesterday and today. After getting over her loss of not having the Clan around to shout her sons' warrior names, she'd finally realized they were going. She didn't know if they'd ever return. If the Clan leaders realized what Darkfire and Dewstep were doing, they were likely to be punished: killed or exiled. They would never again get an easy chance to restore the code.

Darkfire rubbed his face against hers.

"We'll miss you," he purred to her.

Hollyleaf nodded, not even daring to speak.

Dewstep still looked bewildered. He'd had a distant look about him when he came to the briar bush. Hollyleaf didn't have time to ask about it when Darkfire had told her what had happened. She knew then they'd proved themselves as warriors and it was the appropriate time for them to go.

Hollyleaf licked her sons' heads one last time and then walked with them to the edge of the forest. They didn't speak. Hollyleaf wished she could offer them something. She wished she remembered the herbs for traveling.

"Remember what I taught you," Hollyleaf told them at the edge of the forest. They peered out at the open land. It was so different now that they had to cross it.  
"Keep the code . . . And . . . I love you."

Darkfire gave her a sad smile and licked her once. He then took off over the long grass. Dewstep hesitated, bumped Hollyleaf with his head, and then ran after him.

Hollyleaf stared after her sons as they ran away from her. Suddenly she felt her legs running after them.

"Wait!" she called.

They slowed down and she reached them.

"I'll come with you to the stream," she said.

They walked then. They walked to the stream, their tails entwined. Hollyleaf managed to talk to them. She gave them more orders, warned them about dangers on the way to the lake, told them how to cross the thunderpath, and then wished them luck and that StarClan would watch over them. They were then at the stream. Hollyleaf watched as her sons easily swam through the narrow ditch. They stood up on the other side and shook their fur out. Then they stared at each other across the gap.

"I'll see you again," Hollyleaf meowed.

"We'll have the code and Clans restored," Dewstep promised.

"Just keep safe," she whispered to them as they turned tail and left her there.

Hollyleaf sat down and watched until she couldn't see them anymore. She stayed until the night, thinking about the Clans and wondering what her brothers were doing. Now that she wasn't there, would the Prophesy of the Three still come true?

She still believed she was one of the three, not realizing her brothers had replaced her with one of Whitewing's kits. Had she known, she would have been more bitter. _How dare they think they can replace me_, she would have thought._ I will not be forgotten that easily!_ Luckily, she knew nothing. She let her sons go blindly into the Clans to perfect the code that had been broken so many times by her Clan and her family.

* * *

**Sorry this was so short, but it's all that really needs to be said. The next chapter will make up for this one!**


	10. Chapter 9 RiverClan

_Disclaimer: Warriors belongs to Erin Hunter, but she can't have Darkfire!_

_WARNING, this is the longest chapter so far._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 9**

Darkfire and Dewstep avoided the horseplace and walked to RiverClan territory. Hollyleaf had told them to enter through RiverClan. It would prevent the Clans from knowing which direction they truly came from, might make them believe the two had come from the old territory the Clans had migrated from, and Hollyleaf was hoping RiverClan might accept the two. RiverClan was not as against half-Clan cats as WindClan was and Leopardstar might be interested in two extra cats who could swim. So Darkfire and Dewstep waited by the border of RiverClan, waiting for a patrol, which was the polite thing to do. It was also what was required in the warrior code. Hollyleaf had told them not to infringe it in the Clans. Her sons could give them no excuse for kicking them out.

Now Dewstep reflected on the journey that had gotten them to the Clans. After crossing the stream and leaving their forest home, Dewstep and Darkfire had walked for the whole day. Then they'd found a place to sleep in the open field. The field continued for one more day and the two came upon a thunderpath.

Dewstep and Darkfire stared at it, amazed at the monsters that rushed by. Wind seemed to accumulate around the thunderpath, along with a sickly smell. The ground near the thunderpath was barren.

"Twolegs actually trust these things?" Darkfire had asked.

"They're so big. . . ." Dewstep mewed. Now he wondered what Twolegs really looked like. They fit in these things apparently, but the monsters were large. Dewstep was intimidated.

The two stayed on the far side of the thunderpath until nightfall. The monsters came less frequently then and Darkfire and Dewstep felt it was safer to cross. Hollyleaf had told them to wait for a pause in the monsters but the two had to get used to the scary beasts. Now, as night came, the monsters started to glow, but that made them easier to see. The brothers finally crossed when the glowing was far in the distance.

They continued on, not willing to rest near the thunderpath. When dawn came, they curled up together to rest their exhausted bodies and minds.

There was more field the following day and then the two came upon a shiny structure held up by wooden poles that reminded them of trees. Dewstep and Darkfire easily slipped between the sharp, shiny lines and continued on. On the fifth day away from home they had to cross a hill. It wasn't tall like the mountains in the distance, but it was still tall for the two cats who'd never seen anything like it. They played along the hill then, hiding behind grass and rocks to pounce out at each other. This relieved their stressed minds. They hadn't known what to do in the open area away from the trees and away from home, but playing like they used to helped make things seem better.

Then one day the brothers saw the lake. They were crossing another hill when Dewstep saw the shiny surface. He stopped and squinted. Darkfire soon noticed.

"We must be near WindClan territory," he meowed. The moorlands around them seemed a bit hazy and a cool breeze lifted their fur.

"Let's go this way," Darkfire continued, nodding his head to their left. He'd noticed they were traveling directly toward the lake, but they couldn't, not if they were to enter the Clans territory through RiverClan.

So the brothers walked parallel to the lake, not wanting to meet with a WindClan cat yet. Eventually they started walking toward the lake again. They'd met up with another thunderpath. They stopped for the night and then the next day they walked beside the thunderpath. Finally they came to the horseplace. They ran around the structure, not wanting to be caught between it and the thunderpath, and not wanting to be seen by the Twolegs or Clan cats patrolling the area. Finally they made it to their destination. And there they waited for RiverClan, finally ready to enter the Clans.

"I smell cats," Darkfire meowed, standing up.

Dewstep sat up as well. They'd been laying down, relaxing in the greenleaf sun. Dewstep felt pleasantly warm now as well as tired. He yawned and stretched, letting the cats see him and his dark brother.

The patrol quickly turned toward them. Dewstep made out three warriors and two apprentices. He wondered who they were. He couldn't recognize any of them from Hollyleaf's stories. But that didn't mean anything, Dewstep could have been imagining them wrong. Anyway, didn't a lot of cats in RiverClan look grey? Dewstep felt he could fit right in.

"Who are you and what are you doing on RiverClan territory?" a she-cat challenged.

"You and your apprentice should get off," a tom growled at Darkfire.

Dewstep's jaw dropped. They thought he was an apprentice?

"This is your border," Darkfire answered. His voice was low. It didn't sound dangerous, since he was being polite. Dewstep realized he would also have to be. He'd have to forgive them for their misunderstanding. "We haven't crossed your scent markers," Darkfire nodded toward a tree stump.

"So what did you want?" the she-cat asked, glancing at the tom in a commanding way. "You obviously know better than to cross, and I'd guess you were waiting to meet a patrol."

"We were," Dewstep meowed. "We wanted to speak with Leopardstar."

"We don't take rouges to our leader," the tom growled. "We can deal with them ourselves."

The tom seemed ready to attack. Dewstep suddenly realized how the she-cat rouge he and Darkfire had ambushed felt. He was outnumbered and he was about to be hurt!

"Hush, Rippletail," the grey she-cat hissed. "You don't know what this is about. They might have information for her."

"You can't trust rouges," the third warrior interjected. The two apprentices nodded. They too had their claws out, ready for a battle.

The grey cat sighed. "Copperpool is right. I'm going to have to ask you what for. Then I will decide if you should speak or if you should just leave."

Darkfire and Dewstep shared a glance. Then Darkfire nodded his head. Dewstep was surprised his brother was letting him speak.

"My brother and I want to join your Clan," Dewstep told her. He watched her blink. The other two warriors started laughing and the apprentices just looked confused.

"Leopardstar would never let rouges into the Clan," Rippletail snickered.

"Our mother was a Clan cat," Dewstep meowed, annoyed with them. He didn't want to be laughed at.

That stopped them. Now they shared a glance.

"What Clan?" the she-cat asked.

"She never said," Dewstep shook his head, lying as he'd been told to. "She didn't want to speak about them after her exile, but she taught us the warrior code. When we got old enough, we wanted to join a Clan. First we had to find you."

"What was her name?" Copperpool asked. She seemed intrigued.

"We call her Snake," Darkfire meowed. "She wanted to forget her old name, so she took on the one our father gave her."

Now all the others in the patrol were interested. Was this for real?

The grey she-cat told them to stay there and then she led the other warriors off to speak privately with them. The apprentices growled threateningly at the brothers, daring them to disobey.

Finally she returned with the others. "We have agreed to take you to Leopardstar," she said. The tom growled and Dewstep knew he didn't like the idea. "She will decide what to do with you."

Dewstep vocalized his thanks and Darkfire just nodded in agreement.

"By the way," the she-cat meowed, "My name is Mistyfoot. I'm the deputy of RiverClan. What do you call yourselves?"

"Dewstep and Darkfire," Dewstep told her.

"HMM, Clan names," Mistyfoot murmured. Then she waved her tail and led the way. Rippletail and Copperpool surrounded the brothers and one of the apprentices took off toward the Clan to warn Leopardstar of the visitors. The last apprentice walked behind them.

The ground soon got wet and Dewstep was reminded of Tanglewood. It was wet there, but here there were no trees, just reeds and water. They had to swim a few times and Dewstep felt the gaze of the RiverClan cats as they crossed the streams and puddles. Dewstep felt the water cling to his fur and immediately started thinking about something else. He might have learned how to swim, but he still hated it. The only way to get over it was to think about something else and forget that he was actually in the water.

On the way, Dewstep noticed the approving nod Mistyfoot had when she watched them get out of the water. Dewstep knew they'd passed a test of a sort. Finally they made it to the camp. There cats waited, outside of their nests, staring at the rouges who dared ask entrance to their Clan. Leopardstar, an older she-cat with spotted golden fur, gazed at them from her meeting place.** (A/N I forgot what she uses to call Clan meetings. Is it a rock or a bunch of reeds?)  
**  
Mistyfoot hurried forward and whispered into the Clan leader's ear. Leopardstar's eyes glanced over the brothers as the deputy spoke to her. Finally the grey stepped back.

The leader was silent for a moment longer. Then she said, "Mistyfoot tells me you want to join our Clan. That you feel entitled to just because your mother was a Clan cat from some Clan she didn't tell you."

_That's not what I said_, Dewstep thought, bothered by the leader's tone.

The tribe murmured. There were low hisses and growls, but they didn't say anything, waiting for their leader's judgement.

"Well?" Leopardstar asked in the silence.

Dewstep looked to Darkfire who nodded to him. So he was supposed to talk again? Why wouldn't Darkfire do it? Dewstep didn't want to talk in front of everyone. He didn't want to sound mousebrained as he tried to convince them to let him join.

"We want to join because we like the warrior code," Dewstep meowed. "It is a wonderful way to keep cats together. It provides for the weak and it gives the powerful and healthy a way to channel their strengths. It cares for the lowest in the Clan and keeps you together and guided by intelligent leaders--"

"Stop with the flattery," Leopardstar interrupted. "We know you love the warrior code now."

Many cats chuckled and Dewstep felt embarrassed. He looked down, not wanting to meet anyone's eyes. Perhaps being honest wasn't the best thing.

"But why would you want to join RiverClan?" Leopardstar asked.

"We haven't asked the other Clans yet," Darkfire meowed. "We will join the Clan that will have us."

"That doesn't say much for your loyalty," Leopardstar sniffed.

"But once we join, we'd stay loyal," Dewstep protested. "We just need to join one first."

"You do have good attributes," Leopardstar acknowledged. "You can swim like a RiverClan cat."

The mentioned cats seemed surprised and they looked at the two in interest. Was Leopardstar actually thinking about welcoming them?

"Are you sure you don't know which Clan your mother came from?" Leopardstar asked.

The brother's shook their lying heads.

"Well I know of no cats RiverClan has exiled," the leader said. "I must think on this. Grassfoot give them a place to stay for the night. All senior warriors join me."

Leopardstar jumped from her position and the warriors came to her. Grassfoot came and led the brothers away to a grouping of reeds. There he stayed to guard them.

"Well?" Dewstep asked Darkfire.

"I think we might have pulled it off," Darkfire murmured. "If not, then we know what to expect from the other Clans. What kinds of questions and what the reasons will be for not accepting us."

Dewstep nodded. That made sense.

"What if no Clan wants us?" he whispered.

"Then we'll have to go home," Darkfire meowed. He didn't say more because Grassfoot was listening in, but he had a feeling Hollyleaf would send them back, but with a different plan.

* * *

**I don't know if Copperpaw already got her warrior name in Sunrise, tell me if she did and I'll replace her with a different cat. I also didn't know if Grasskit was a boy or a girl.**


	11. Chapter 10 Acceptance?

_Disclaimer: Warriors is Erin Hunter's creation._

_Well no one has complained, so Dewstep and Darkfire are keeping their warrior names._

_Thanks to my reviewers: _Allygirl56 _and _Brackenfurlover_._

_To _Brackenfurlover_: no, not those cats either. Remember, it's his looks, not personality or attitude. Also, Dewstep's looks don't exactly match the other cat, but are similar. That probably didn't help, huh? _

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Just before sunset, Darkfire and Dewstep were called back to the center of the RiverClan camp. Leopardstar was on her meeting rock again. She stared down at them and Dewstep was suddenly worried. What had they decided? The other cats of RiverClan sat, waiting for the answer to that question. Dewstep suddenly noticed how many cats there were in the Clan. He'd never seen so many before.

"My warriors and I have discussed giving these two rouges a place in our Clan," Leopardstar meowed. "While I am willing to give them a chance to prove themselves, my warriors have pointed out RiverClan has enough warriors and we do not need half-Clan cats to strengthen us."

Dewstep felt angry. They wouldn't accept him just because of his blood? He didn't even know his father. He didn't know anything but the warrior code!

"Darkfire and his brother Dewstep will be allowed to stay in our Clan for the night, but in the morning they will be asked to leave. They will be allowed to go around the lake to ask the other Clans entrance," Leopardstar nodded to her Clan. Then she jumped off of her rock and went to her den.

Darkfire and Dewstep just stared at the Clan as they filed off to their nests. Now that they knew, they weren't interested in the brothers any longer

Grassfoot came over to Dewstep.

"Leopardstar says you can have some fresh-kill," the warrior told them. He led them to the pile. There they picked out a fish each and went back to their temporary nest. Grassfoot ate there with them.

"We'll talk in the morning," Darkfire told Dewstep when the grey opened his mouth. "Now we should sleep."

Dewstep closed his mouth, disappointed Darkfire didn't even want to talk about the refusal or what they would do now. The brothers finished their meal and buried the bones where Grassfoot told them. Then they curled up together. Dewstep couldn't get comfortable, but he could hear Darkfire snoring. He was really downhearted at the moment. He felt bad that RiverClan hadn't accepted them. He knew there were three more Clans to go, but he had hoped RiverClan might welcome them and their mission would be made a lot easier. Of course he couldn't see how fixing the code would help RiverClan. They seemed to follow it already. Dewstep really didn't know what to think at the moment. So he tried to settle down and sleep.

********

The dawn patrol woke the brothers. Leopardstar was leading it. She took the brothers to the edge of their territory, on the lake side. There she spoke with them privately.

"If you don't have any success with the other Clans, come back here," she told them. "I would like to make you Clan members. You do seem willing enough to follow the code, but my warriors don't trust rouges."

"We understand," Darkfire meowed. He and Dewstep didn't trust them either.

Leopardstar gave them an apologetic smile. "I might be able to convince them the next time, but you'll probably have better luck with ThunderClan. They're always accepting of outsiders. It caused a battle once, but I can see the usefulness in new cats. My medicine cat, Mothwing, is half-rouge and her father was from another Clan. She's an asset to the Clan. Of course there are bad things in accepting new blood. Tension rises in the Clan and they aren't so trusting of each other. Well, enough about that." Leopardstar shook herself. Dewstep noticed how she didn't mention Mothwing's brother, another half-Clan cat.

"May StarClan light your path," Leopard meowed to them.

"And yours," the brothers told her. The RiverClan leader and her patrol took off, trusting that the brothers would leave.

There they stood at the edge of the lake. Don't go farther than two tail lengths away, they'd been warned. Now the brothers looked around them. The lake ended at a slope in the distant woodland. ThunderClan territory. Eventually they'd make their way to that place. It was the last Clan they were to meet. It would be their last chance for acceptance. Of course Leopardstar had offered them a place if no other Clan would, but Dewstep felt uneasy about that. For accepting them Leopardstar would be receiving two cats that would take over her Clan in an attempt to restore the broken code. Dewstep didn't think that was right.

"Goodbye, Dewstep," Darkfire suddenly meowed and turned to ShadowClan land.

"Wait," Dewstep cried, hurrying to stand beside his brother.

"You know what Hollyleaf said," Darkfire meowed. "We need to split up. If we can join two separate Clans we can get done faster."

"But, Darkfire," Dewstep protested. He didn't want to go alone. Not to unfriendly WindClan that hated outside cats. He also didn't want his brother going into ShadowClan. Those cats were dark. They were likely to kill him if they saw him. At least WindClan would let him live after they beat him up.

Darkfire glanced at his brother, looked at ShadowClan land, and then turned around.

"All right," he meowed. "Let's go."

Dewstep smiled. They'd be going together. It might have been against what Hollyleaf told them, but the brothers had always been together. They wouldn't separate for this mission either.

Darkfire led the way to the moorland. Dewstep walked after him suddenly happier. As long as his brother was with him, he didn't care if they never got into a Clan.


	12. Chapter 11 Night Hunt

_Read this while listening to Duran Duran's_ Falling Down_. I think it's good together._

_Now you know what Hollyleaf is doing while her sons are gone...._

* * *

**Chapter 11**

The half moon rippled as Hollyleaf gazed at it through the leaves. She suddenly thought about how peaceful it was at night. Peaceful and lonely. Her sons had been gone for over a moon and she'd been alone the whole time. It had been hard. She'd wake up in the middle of the night and there would be no sound. There would be no other cats sleeping beside her. She would be cold and scared. So she took to walking to distract herself. Now she slept during the day when the birds were out and she could hear them when she woke up.

Tonight was one of those nights when she finally felt calm. Oddly enough, it reminded her of her sons and their different personalities: Darkfire's silent, calm strength and Dewstep's inquisitive openness. It made her remember their goal in restoring the code and how they would punish all the code breakers. On these nights she wasn't worried about them or about being all alone, or that they wouldn't succeed. On these nights she anticipated joining them and becoming part of the Clan again.

Soon, she decided, soon she'd join them. She just had to give them time to gain the trust of their Clanmates. Then she would join them and give them direction to continue the Clan cleansing. Then she'd punish Leafpool for taking a WindClan cat for a mate and then punish Squirelflight for lying for her sister.

Suddenly Hollyleaf heard a distant noise. Her ears twitched and she sought to pinpoint it. It had sounded like a cat. Hollyleaf's fur prickled. No rouge would take her territory or her prey! Hollyleaf picked up her pace, ducking underneath bushes and jumping over rocks as she got closer to the noise. Suddenly she realized she was going back to her nest. The rouge had found her home! Hollyleaf felt anger. The rouge was trespassing and breaking the code! Hollyleaf had to make the rouge leave.

She ran around a tree close to the briar bush and then, sliding on the moss and ferns of the forest floor, stopped. More than one cat stood around the bush. Hollyleaf glanced over them, counting at least five in the dark. Two were scenting the air. Suddenly Hollyleaf knew they were searching for her. Her blood went cold and she turned tail, running away from her nest. She could never fight that many rouges. She didn't have that kind of power. Not like Lionblaze.

Hollyleaf heard a shout behind her, and she knew she'd either been seen or scented. Paws pounded behind her. Hollyleaf ran faster, her heart beating rapidly. Why were they doing this?

Hollyleaf didn't care if they heard her anymore. She knew they were following her by scent. Her only hope was to lose them.

_They'll never get through Tanglewood_, Hollyleaf thought, turning to head deeper into the forest and to the bog. She stayed on the ground as it got soggy and the smell of decay filled in around her. Frogs jumped away from her, hiding in the reeds. Soon the mud was clinging to her paws, pulling her down. She jumped up on a branch and paused, panting. She was aching all over and she was out of breath. She'd stopped hearing the pawsteps behind her a while ago. They probably didn't know what to do now. She gave a satisfied grin. Now she had to get higher.

Hollyleaf walked over to the trunk of the tree. It was leaning over in a curve. She easily clawed her way up to the highest point and then jumped to a branch higher in the air. Her muddy paws slipped. She was soon hanging on only by her front claws.

"Great StarClan, no," Hollyleaf whispered in fear. She didn't want to fall. She didn't know how deep the mud was down there. She only hunted near the edges of the bog. She knew her sons went deeper on occasion and they knew all the little islands where the prey was plentiful. She now regretted she didn't know those places.  
Hollyleaf's back legs pedaled in the air as she swung back and forth. She slowly pulled herself up. Her claws catching in the thick bark. She knew she'd torn some. Finally she heaved herself up. She clung there, panting. She wasn't moving until sunrise. The dark wasn't so peaceful anymore, instead everything in it was hunting her.

Then Hollyleaf heard cat voices. They called to each other from different heights in Tanglewood. They were all behind her. She was still ahead. She hesitantly stood up. She had to get deeper. She had to get so deep they couldn't find her. Eventually they'd give up, and she could return to her nest and her territory. If they were still waiting there for her, then she'd journey to the lake and join her sons. It was no longer safe to be alone.

Hollyleaf walked quickly to another branch, and this time walked onto it. She wouldn't try to jump again. Not after that scare. Hollyleaf now tried to go quietly. She knew they wouldn't be able to smell her anymore, since the bog was fragrant with all sorts of interesting smells, but they still might hear her. She was suddenly grateful for her dark fur. It was a gift. She could hide easily in the night and during the day if she stay in the shadows. They weren't likely to see her unless she stood out directly in front of the moon.

Eventually Hollyleaf found a place to sleep. She was tired and she needed a place to stay until sunrise when she could see better. She wanted to find an island to stay until the rouges left. It was too dangerous to travel the Tanglewood floor in the dark. Hollyleaf curled up between a tree trunk and a branch. It was a bumpy, hard spot, but Hollyleaf quickly drifted off.

********

She woke to the sound of sniffing. It was loud and it was near.

Hollyleaf jumped up, balancing precariously on the branch. She examined the area. The sun was just starting to light the sky. What animal was near her? Was it a racoon? Some lived in the bog and they could be dangerous to a cat since they could climb trees.

But it was worse than that. From behind her tree came a cat head. The orange eyes gazed at her and Hollyleaf was frozen as the tortoiseshell joined her on her branch. Three other cats appeared near him. One higher up in the tree, one working its way around behind Hollyleaf, and the last one, a grey and ginger she-cat with a red scarred face, stood right behind the tom.

"Where are our sons?" he asked her.

* * *

**I wasn't originally planning on bringing him back, but he makes an interesting addition.**


	13. Chapter 12 ThunderClan

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter._

_I have a question. What if one of the writers came on to fanfic and wanted to write a story. Would she have to say she didn't own Warriors?_

_Thanks to my reviewers: _Brackenfurlover_ and _Allygirl56_._

_To Brackenfurlover: Not Cinderpelt. But it is a cat that has died._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 12**

Darkfire and Dewstep entered ThunderClan territory. WindClan had chased them away from the moor and into the forest.

"I'm glad we didn't go to them first," Dewstep shuddered.

He and Darkfire had been taunted and clawed at by the patrol. The WindClan patrol hadn't even been lead by a Clan leader or deputy so the brothers hadn't been able to ask about joining.

"We were warned they disliked outsiders. They even have tense relationships with the other Clans," Darkfire meowed. "They probably follow the code to Hollyleaf's ideal."

Dewstep wondered if he heard scorn in his brother's voice. He couldn't be sure and he didn't ask about it.

Instead he meowed, "There are some that don't."--Crowfeather for example.--"Hollyleaf will want us to get rid of those cats." Dewstep felt strange saying that. He'd never actually accepted that killing would be a part. He'd always assumed Hollyleaf would do it for them. But he realized they'd have to gain control of the Clans somehow.

The brothers continued to walk in the ThunderClan area. WindClan had gone over the border (another part of the code broken) and chased them a while before leaving ThunderClan to deal with the two.

Dewstep was about to remark about their behavior and ask if they should attempt to go back later, but he stopped because now he and Darkfire were confronted by four warriors who'd been hiding in the undergrowth.

Dewstep realized he'd been comfortable walking under the trees. He hadn't been scenting for other cats or looking out for danger. He'd felt like he was back home in Hollyleaf's territory. Now he and Darkfire were in trouble. The four warriors looked deadly, and the two apprentices looked eager.

"Get off our territory," a long haired white tom spat.

Dewstep thought the words were familiar. Then he realized that's what he, Darkfire, and Hollyleaf always said to rouges. Now he knew where they got it from.

"Attac--" the tom started to shout, an apprentice darting forward.

"Wait!" Dewstep interrupted, puffing out his fur to look bigger, "We want to talk to Firestar!"

Darkfire batted the young apprentice away with a large paw. The she-cat tumbled away, uninjured. Her mentor snarled and moved forward, but a tail slapped his face and he stopped.

"She's not hurt," the grey tom said. "Lightningpaw, get back here."

"Greystripe," the white tom protested. "They've trespassed on our territory."

"They want to speak to Firestar," Greystripe told him. "We'll take them to camp."

"Firestar would talk to anyone," the white cat muttered. "Even a fish."

"Greystripe," a she-cat who was an off-white protested, "we can't let rouges into camp! At least ask them what they want first!"

The last warrior nodded an agreement. The brown apprentice seemed disappointed. And Lightningpaw was glaring at Darkfire.

Finally Greystripe looked at the brothers. "Dovetooth is right. What do you want to talk to Firestar about?"

He seemed like he was expecting them to say it was only for Firestar to hear. Dewstep knew that was usually what other cats said when they wanted to talk to leaders, but he didn't want to say that. They might as well know.

"Darkfire and I want to join your Clan," he said. He expected them to laugh like the RiverClan cats had done. Instead the white tom looked disgusted, Dovetooth surprised, and Greystripe and the last warrior seemed resigned.

"Now everyone's heard about how Firestar welcomes all sorts of cats!" the white tom yelled. He seemed frustrated. "Our Clan isn't our Clan anymore. WindClan was right." He shook his head.

"Cloudtail," hissed the last warrior, a tortoiseshell. "Don't say that."

"It's true," Cloudtail meowed, turning on her. "Have you seen our Clan? Kittypets and rouges. There isn't a pure Clan cat left!"

"Cloudtail," Greystripe snapped. Dewstep was surprised. He didn't think it was easy to make this big warrior mad. "Go back to camp and tell Firestar he has visitors."

The white warrior seemed like he would protest, but then he turned and waved his tail at Lightningpaw. She quickly hurried after. Now Dewstep and Darkfire were surrounded by ThunderClan warriors.

"Don't mind Cloudtail," Greystripe told them. "He is a bit sore. His mate is going to have kits."

Dewstep figured there was something else bothering the white tom. Cloudtail had seemed to already voice it. He was suddenly worried they wouldn't be accepted into ThunderClan because they were tired of letting rouges in. He suddenly knew what Leopardstar meant when she said letting in outsiders caused tension in the Clans.

"My name is Greystripe," the grey continued. "That is Poppyfrost and her apprentice Ledgepaw." He inclined his head to the tortoiseshell and the remaining apprentice. "That is Dovetooth." He nodded to the almost white cat.

"I'm Dewstep," Dewstep meowed. "This is my brother Darkfire."

"You have Clan names," Poppyfrost meowed, her eyes narrow.

"Our mother was an exiled Clan cat," Dewstep told them. He was used to the story now. He'd practiced before he and Darkfire entered WindClan territory. However this was only the second time he got to say it. "She never told us what Clan, but she taught us the Warrior code. Darkfire and me decided to join a Clan because we liked the code so much."

Greystripe seemed surprised. He asked the inevitable question, "What was her name?"

"We called her Snake," Dewstep meowed. Then he looked to Darkfire to continue. They'd agreed that each would say certain things.

"When our father first saw her, he thought she was a snake," Darkfire told them quietly. "She gave up her Clan name, but she named us after Clan ways. Perhaps she wanted us to join a Clan one day."

Greystripe could only murmur a half agreement.

"What about your father?" Poppyfrost asked.

"He was a rouge," Dewstep shrugged. "Snake never told us much about him. He left after we were kitted."

"Did he look like you?" Dovetooth asked.

Now Dewstep paused. He didn't know. Hollyleaf hadn't ever told them what he looked like.

"She never said," Darkfire meowed. "He wasn't worth really mentioning. He abandoned her." Dewstep could actually hear anger. He was surprised. He didn't think it mattered at all, but maybe he was just acting for the Clan cats.

"So you don't know," Greystripe meowed thoughtfully. "I would like to know who your parents are. You do seem familiar."

Dewstep felt the hairs on his back start to stand up. Would Greystripe recognize them? Would anyone in ThunderClan recognize them as Hollyleaf's kits? It suddenly seemed dangerous to even enter this Clan. They might see Hollyleaf in Darkfire! He had her pelt color after all!

* * *

**I first put Honeyfern in as Poppyfrost's part. Then I remembered she was dead. You all would have been confused if I'd ressurected HF!**

**Anyway, Dovekit is Dovetooth. I'm naming all the cats strange names, because that's what Firestar would do.**


	14. Chapter 13 Warrior Ceremony

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 13**

Graystripe led them through a bramble bush and the two brothers saw something unforgettable. High rock walls soared up around them, opening to the blue sky above. Darkfire was in awe. He'd heard Hollyleaf's stories of the ThunderClan camp, but he'd never imagined this.

"Bring them over here, Graystripe," a ginger cat meowed and waved his tail.

That's when Darkfire noticed the other cats. Some were glaring at him and his brother and others didn't seem to care. There were a lot of cats here. He thought there was more than RiverClan.

Two kits played by a bush in the wall. They were with their mother, a tortoiseshell with white patches. A ginger stood with them. Darkfire quickly brought his attention back to the ginger that had addressed them. Graystripe led the brothers up to the rock wall and then started to climb. The Clan leader disappeared inside the wall. Darkfire and Dewstep shared a glance and then they each went up to the cave as well. Graystripe waited outside for them.

"Come and join us, Graystripe," Firestar meowed after the brothers were inside. One other cat was with the Clan leader. A grey cat with blue, unseeing eyes. Darkfire found himself staring at the gray cat. For some reason he looked familiar. He knew who it was of course, Jayfeather, Hollyleaf's brother, but it was more than that. Then when Dewstep moved further into the cave, he noticed it. Both toms were small and gray, but Dewstep had green eyes and a white paw, but still there was something that seemed too similar. Darkfire hoped no one else noticed.

"Yes, I'm blind," Jayfeather snapped, seeming to look right at Darkfire.

"Oh," Darkfire quickly looked away. He'd been caught starring. He glanced once back over as he sat next to his brother. Jayfeather didn't seem angry anymore, instead he seemed to be thinking, as if he'd just learned something.

"This is Dewstep and Darkfire," Graystripe meowed, flicking his tail at each, as he sat down.

Firestar seemed to ignore what had just happened between Darkfire and Jayfeather, instead he looked over at Darkfire. "Cloudtail said you wanted to join ThunderClan?"

"Yes," Dewstep nodded, drawing the Clan leader's attention to him. Darkfire had noticed that Firestar hadn't noticed his brother much. He knew now that having Dewstep talk was smart. It let other cats know that he wasn't to be ignored. Darkfire also knew he didn't have a way with words like Dewstep. He was grateful just to add input on occasion.

"We want to be part of a Clan," Dewstep continued.

"Do you know what that even means?" Firestar asked.

Dewstep nodded again, "Our mother taught us about the code."

"And who was your mother?" Firestar questioned. He seemed interested. He looked at Graystripe in question and his friend gave a hesitant nod. The brothers didn't know what to make of that.

"Snake," Darkfire meowed. Talking about Hollyleaf was his job. "She took on the name our rouge father gave her. She didn't want to remember her old life so she also never told us which Clan she was from."

"What did she look like?" Jayfeather asked.

"This is the ThunderClan medicine cat, Jayfeather," Firestar meowed, twitching his ears.

What had happened to Leafpool? Darkfire suddenly wondered. She should have been the medicine cat. He stopped himself from looking around. Then he realized the question Jayfeather had asked. What did she look like? Dark fur like his own. He knew they couldn't say that. Just saying her color would give Hollyleaf away.

"We'd prefer not to say," Dewstep meowed.

"Why?" Jayfeather pressed. He seemed to gaze right at Dewstep and Darkfire wanted to shiver.

"We'd rather not because then you might know who she is," Dewstep explained. "We don't want you to think of the reason that exiled her when you look at us. We don't want to be remembered for what our mother did."

"He has a point," Graystripe murmured to Firestar.

"That makes it very convenient for you," Jayfeather snapped. "We don't know who she is. We don't know if she was a Clan cat at all!"

"Jayfeather," Firestar warned. "We will respect their wishes. They don't have to say what she looked like. They still want to be ThunderClan warrior and that is all that matters."

Jayfeather seemed annoyed but he didn't say more.

"If I were to let you join the Clan on a probationary trial," Firestar continued. "Would you obey the code and your mentor?"

Darkfire and Dewstep nodded.

"You'll learn Clan ways," Firestar meowed. "And at the end of the trial, you will enter our Clan. However, if you don't like what you learn, you can always leave before you are made warriors." He waited for their answer.

"Thank you," Dewstep meowed, with a smile.

"Graystripe," Firestar looked at his friend. "Would you like to train one of them?"

The gray tom nodded.

"Then Dewstep," the ThunderClan leader announced. "You will learn from Graystripe. Darkfire will be taught by Brackenfur."

Suddenly another cat was by the Clan leader's den.

"Firestar," she meowed. "We should start the warrior ceremony."

"Thank you, Sandstorm," Firestar purred.

Then he stood up and stretched. The other cats did as well. Darkfire noticed Firestar looking at his brother. His eyes seemed to be looking at Dewstep's one white paw. For a moment something moved behind the leader's eye. Then Firestar shook his head and led the way out.

The cats filed down the rock wall, leaving Firestar atop the High Ledge. Graystripe led the brothers to a spot below. The ThunderClan cats looked over at the brothers with distrust.

Darkfire looked back up at Firestar who was starting to explain what the brothers were doing. He noticed that even though the cats didn't like the new additions, they didn't speak out like Cloudtail had. He knew that he and his brother wouldn't be appreciated in the Clan. He wondered if that would make it harder to fix the code. But he might take advantage of the dislike of non-Clan cats. His mind got to working.

"Graystripe will teach Dewstep and Brackenfur will teach Darkfire," Firestar was saying. He nodded to the ginger that had been by the nursery.

"Now it's time for the warrior ceremony," Firestar announced. "Ledgepaw and Redpaw, come here."

The two apprentices came forward. Their legs were shaky, but they wore large smiles.

"I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Ledgepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The brown apprentice quivered as he answered, "I do."

"Redpaw," Firestar continued. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," the little she-cat nodded.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name," Firestar meowed, looking at the stars that started to appear in the evening sky. "Ledgepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ledgewalker. StarClan honors your courage and your faith and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." He jumped from the High Ledge and placed his head on Ledgewalker's. The new warrior licked his shoulder.

Darkfire was remembering his own ceremony. He felt something stir inside. It was warm and he nudged his brother. Dewstep smiled back.

"Redpaw," Firestar turned to the other apprentice. "From this moment on you will be known as Redstrike. StarClan honors your intelligence and your loyalty and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." He placed his head on Redstrike. She licked his shoulder.

Suddenly the Clan was yelling a rhythmic chant. Darkfire felt his brother press up against him in fear. Darkfire even flinched at the yelling. But finally he heard the words they were saying.

"Ledgewalker! Redstrike! Ledgewalker! Redstrike!"

It was then Darkfire realized the sadness Hollyleaf had exhibited after she'd made them warriors. No one had shouted his or Dewstep's names. Right now Darkfire could imagine the Clan was chanting his. It was exhilarating! No wonder Hollyleaf had been disappointed. There was something good about hearing your name praised.

The Clan went silent as individual cats went to greet the new warriors. Darkfire stayed where he was. He realized he wanted the chanting to actually be for his name, and not just in his mind. He'd have to find a way to accomplish that.


	15. Chapter 14 A Thorn

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter._

_Did you want to hear more about Hollyleaf?....Too bad. Can't do it yet!_

_Anyway thanks to my reviewers: _Brackenfurlover_, _Xo Di Angelo_, _Warriors--Skywing_, and _Dawnpelt-of-Iceclan_, _Lakemoss, Allygirl56_._

_Congrats to _Dawnpelt-of-Iceclan_ for the correct guess! Dewstep is supposed to look like Scourge, but for the gray fur and green eyes. Yeah, I know, that doesn't look like Scourge, but I said SIMILAR, not exact. And like I said, it doesn't affect his personality. I bet that was anticlimactic to find out. :(_

_Anyways, thanks to those that guessed. And _Dawnpelt-of-Iceclan_ wins a prize! (Not sure what that prize is, though.)_

_Back to the story. Read on_.

* * *

**Chapter 14**

Dewstep walked after Graystripe. The older tom wanted to test him on his hunting skills. Dewstep didn't understand why the warrior would care about that. Didn't he think Dewstep knew how to hunt? How else would he have made it to the Clans?

It was one day after he and Dewstep were introduced to the Clan. Just that morning, Graystripe had given Dewstep a tour of the camp. Dewstep now knew where the elders' den, the nursery, the medicine cat den, and warriors' den were at. Hollyleaf hadn't spoken much about where things in the camp had been so Dewstep was grateful for the knowledge.

After that, Graystripe had shown Dewstep the ThunderClan borders. Darkfire had gone off with his mentor, Brackenfur. Dewstep knew that Graystripe and Brackenfur were some of Firestar's most trusted cats. They were also senior warriors, but they were not yet ready to join the elders. The only elder in the Clan was Longtail and that was because of his blindness. Dewstep knew there weren't many elders because most of them had died in the old forest. It would be a few more seasons before the senior warriors were ready to go the elders' den.

"This will be a hunting patrol," Graystripe was saying. "We're going to bring back the prey. We won't eat it. The Clan gets fed first."

_I know that_, Dewstep thought impatiently but he didn't say anything. Instead he looked for prey.

He and Graystripe walked quietly in the undergrowth. Dewstep scented for prey. He raised his head, breathing in quickly. His ear twitched as he heard movement near a bush. It was a series of quick, jerky movements. Dewstep knew it was prey. He quickly stalked toward the bush, placing his paws softy, certain it was a mouse he was after.

Graystripe glanced once at the small tom and then went after his own prey, a bird only a few trees away. Dewstep didn't notice because he quickly brushed through the bush and pounced on the tiny creature. It didn't even squeak as he ended its life. He pulled himself from the bush and then saw Graystripe killing the bird. The two toms buried their prey together under a risen tree root.

"You know what you're doing," Graystripe meowed.

"Snake taught us," Dewstep answered, using Hollyleaf's other name.

"What else did she teach you?"

Dewstep knew what he said would be taken back to Firestar, so he had to be careful. Last night, as Darkfire and Dewstep slept in a fallen tree inside of camp, Graystripe had been talking to Firestar, Sandstorm, Brambleclaw, Squirrelflight, and Jayfeather in the leader's den. Dewstep knew it had been more about him and his brother, but neither had gone closer to hear. The two former apprentices were on their vigil and they were being diligent, not wanting to let their Clan down.

"Warrior code, battling," Dewstep meowed. He didn't say she'd told him and Darkfire about individual cats, like how Graystripe fell in love with cats outside the Clan, or Daisy couldn't keep a mate. He couldn't let anyone know he was familiar with a certain Clan.

Graystripe was silent after that. They both walked together, looking for prey.

Suddenly Graystripe cried out in pain and fell to his side.

"What's wrong?" Dewstep yelled, looking at the tom.

"My foot," Graystripe moaned and pulled a front paw to his face. Dewstep looked as well. He saw a thorn embedded in Graystripe's flesh.

"Help me back to camp," Graystripe meowed, attempting to stand up. "Jayfeather will know what to do."

"Camp's too far," Dewstep answered and lowered his head to pull out the thorn himself. He finally got a grip with his teeth and he pulled it out.

"Lick that," he ordered and walked to a nearby cobweb that hung between a bush and a tree trunk. He pulled it off with his paw and limped back over to Graystripe who'd stayed on his side, licking his bleeding paw. Dewstep wrapped the web around Graystripe's paw and then helped him to stand. Dewstep let Graystripe lean against him as they limped back to camp.

"I still want Jayfeather to look at it," Graystripe meowed as they started walking through the bramble bush tunnel.

"Of course," Dewstep agreed. "I think he'll have to use burdock or goldenrod to make sure it doesn't get infected. I just didn't know where any was."

Graystripe looked at Dewstep oddly. He shifted, uncomfortable under the gaze.

"Um, I'll go get our prey," he meowed.

"Bring it back here," Graystripe meowed. "Then would you hunt some more?"

"Yes," Dewstep nodded. He was glad Graystripe trusted him on his own.

Dewstep stayed out for the rest of the day. He did see Graystripe once more. The gray tom had a slight limp, but he was outside of the camp. Dewstep found him talking to Firestar. He might have crept away, but they were talking about Darkfire and him. So Dewstep got more comfortable in his tree. He'd decided to climb up and hunt along the branches. It was a bit more harder to hunt here than in Tanglewood, because the branches tended to be farther apart, but he managed to catch some birds and a squirrel.

"They have to be," Graystripe was meowing. "She's had gray and black kits before. And Dewstep knows herbs! She had to teach them that!"

Firestar shook his head. "Any rouge has to learn herbs if they want to survive."

"But he knew more than a few. He and his brother might know every herb. They are medicine cat kits after all."

Dewstep felt the fur on his back rise. He felt cold. What were they talking about? It sounded like they were discussing who Darkfire and Dewstep's mother was. It sounded like they had it figured out.

"Face it," Graystripe meowed. "Leafpool had to have more kits."

* * *

**Sorry that was short. Anyway, I've noticed I've been spelling 'gray' wrong. I'm fixing it in the following chapters.**


	16. Chapter 15 Leafpool

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_You're getting these as I write, please be patient. I want to finish before I go to my sister's house at the end of this week._

_Thanks to all my interested reviewers and readers.

* * *

_

**Chapter 15**

"Darkfire!" Dewstep hissed, hitting his brother.

Darkfire jumped awake, his claws out. Then he noticed it was Dewstep.

"What? I'm tired," Darkfire yawned. "Brackenfur had me helping the apprentices."

Dewstep wondered how that could make Darkfire tired. There were so many apprentices there wouldn't be many jobs to do.

"Graystripe and Firestar think we're Leafpool's kits!" he hissed, trying to keep his voice low so it wouldn't carry from the fallen tree.

"What?" Darkfire asked, snapping his jaw shut.

Dewstep explained what he'd seen in the forest. After listening to the Clan leader and Graystripe, Dewstep had gathered his fresh-kill and made it back before sunset so he could talk to Darkfire.

"So Leafpool was exiled," Darkfire meowed thoughtfully. "Hollyleaf will be glad . . . Or angry." Both knew how she'd wanted to punish her mother on her own. Darkfire shook his head. "So why does Graystripe think we're Leafpool's?"

"I told you," Dewstep sighed. "Leafpool had two kits that were already gray and black like we are. (Hollyleaf and Jayfeather.) We also know our herbs, and she was a medicine cat. I have this white paw," Dewstep waved it in the air. "She had white paws. We claim our mother was exiled; Leafpool was exiled. We don't want to say what she looks like because we don't want to be associated with her mistakes. Leafpool made mistakes that got her cast out. We were taught the warrior code and 'encouraged' to join a Clan. She would want her kits to follow the code, to not make her mistakes, and she'd want her kits to join a Clan."

"All right, all right," Darkfire stopped his brother from telling him everything that he'd heard Firestar and Graystripe discussing. "But Firestar actually believes this?"

"He's doubtful," Dewstep answered. "But Graystripe brought up good points. And apparently they were discussing us last night too with the rest of their family. They wanted to know if they really should let us into the Clan. They were also talking about where we said we came from." Dewstep paused. "Firestar doesn't know what to believe. He wants to know where Leafpool went, but he can't ask because we don't want to say much about ourselves. I think he's going to accept us into the Clan just because he thinks we're family."

"We are family," Darkfire pointed out. "They are so close," he shook his head. "They just have the wrong cat."

Dewstep nodded. "Also, Firestar wants to believe because he saw how similar Jayfeather and I look."

He saw his brother wince. "I saw that too. I'd hoped no one else would."

"Well they did," Dewstep muttered. He didn't say how Firestar thought he was similar to another cat. Firestar had mentioned how Dewstep reminded him of a bad cat who'd been in the old forest, Scourge. Graystripe said that maybe Leafpool's rouge mate had been a relative of the small black and white tyrant. Firestar had simply shrugged and let go of the topic. Dewstep didn't like that he reminded the Clan leader of a bad cat, it would bring him into Firestar's attention when all he wanted to do was fix the code. He winced as he realized maybe he should be watched. He was planning on doing something that would take Firestar's Clan from him. He and Darkfire were bad cats.

Dewstep didn't like that thought. They were trying to fix the code. If it ruined the Clan's current way of life, it didn't matter in the long run as long as the code was enforced. But, in Dewstep's mind, he could only see the picture of Darkfire striking the ginger and gray she-cat rouge. That had been wrong. Fixing the code seemed wrong now.

"It's all right." Darkfire had noticed his brother's glum mood. "Firestar won't ask us and we don't have to lie. We don't know where Leafpool is, anyway, or what she's doing. So we don't have to say. I doubt they would even think about Hollyleaf. They think she's dead."

Darkfire had heard the story just that day. He hadn't asked, but had overheard Ivyflight and Dovetooth as they talked about the power of three prophesy. They were wondering who the third was. Jayfeather and Lionblaze had spoken to the two about the prophesy. Dovetooth and Ivyflight had verbally expressed how they wished Hollyleaf had lived through the tunnels' collapse so they didn't have to be part of the prophesy.

"We don't have to worry about it at all," Darkfire continued. "Now get to sleep. Tomorrow we should get to know more cats. The more friends we have, the more likely they'll help us." He was already laying down and his eyes were closed. The last part came out mumbled.

Dewstep looked down at his brother. How could he be so unconcerned? If Graystripe and Firestar kept thinking, they might overcome their politeness and ask about Leafpool. Then Dewstep wouldn't know what to say. Leafpool might be their cover for now, but when Firestar realized they knew nothing about his daughter, he would have to come up with other reasons why Darkfire and Dewstep looked like family. That might lead them to Hollyleaf, which would lead to why Darkfire and Dewstep had returned.

Dewstep soon drifted off into worried dreams. He was tired when Graystripe and Brackenfur woke them up in the morning.

"Battle training," Graystripe meowed. He and Brackenfur led the brothers to the sandy hollow where the four Clan apprentices waited.

"Those are Firepaw, Pricklepaw, Lightningpaw, Shadepaw, and their mentors Cinderheart, Lionblaze, Cloudtail, and Thornclaw," Brackenfur told them. "You are going to join them so we can see what you know."

The apprentices looked eager to see the adult cats practice. Lightningpaw called out encouragement to her mentor Cloudtail.

"Beat up that dark, foxhearted rouge!" she yelled when Darkfire was asked to battle her mentor.

Dewstep sat down to watch. He sized up Cloudtail. The white warrior was big, but that was mostly fur. Dewstep couldn't tell what was muscle. He didn't know if Darkfire would have a hard time. Dewstep's brother was big, and he had visible muscles, but he also wasn't scarred like Cloudtail. It was obvious Darkfire had no experience in true cat-to-cat combat.

"Well?" Cloudtail challenged when Darkfire didn't move for a few moments. "Do you think your eyes are going to defeat me?"

Dewstep knew Darkfire had been sizing up Cloudtail as well and had been thinking of a battle strategy, but Cloudtail's taunt got to him. Dewstep watched Darkfire's eyes go blank as they always did in tight situations. The black cat quickly ran toward Cloudtail. The white warrior smoothly jumped away, but was not expecting Darkfire to turn quickly and trip him. Cloudtail fell, raising a dust cloud as Darkfire pushed the warrior onto his back. Darkfire stood over Cloudtail, a claw placed on his belly. Dewstep saw Cloudtail's eyes widen in fear as he met Darkfire's yellow eyes. Now Cloudtail realized how right his taunt had been.

"Enough," Brackenfur commanded when the two opponents stayed that way for too many seconds. Even the apprentices were tense, suddenly realizing how serious the situation had gotten.

Darkfire retracted his claw and walked toward Dewstep. Dewstep met his brother's pride filled eyes and meowed, "I don't think anyone was expecting that to go so fast!" Darkfire grinned in agreement, pleased at how efficient he'd been.

"Okay, Dewstep," Graystripe meowed while Brackenfur went to speak with Darkfire. "Your turn."

Dewstep walked onto the sandy ground. He stopped and let it run through his paws. He hadn't felt anything like this before. Neither of the brothers had walked on sand before. They only knew grass, rocks, and wet earth.

"Lionblaze," Brackenfur was suddenly meowing. "What are you doing?"

Dewstep looked up and saw Lionblaze walking onto the sand. Dewstep's eyes widened and his ears lowered. What was this? Did Lionblaze really want to fight him?

Darkfire's low growl sounded. "Don't you hurt my brother," he warned.

Dewstep gulped as Lionblaze looked over, "This is not for real, despite what you might think. I'm not planning on hurting him."

But Dewstep was still nervous. Both brothers knew Lionblaze had never been defeated in a battle. Dewstep didn't think his odds were good at all.

* * *

**Someone's opinion is that in the next series Leafpool will be exiled. I don't know if that is true or not, but I decided to add that to my story so the ThunderClan cats would be confused and Darkfire and Dewstep would have a cover.**

** Just to tell you, I'm not bringing Leafpool back into this story, she can stay exiled. Sorry, Dawnpelt.**


	17. Chapter 16 Raven and Spice

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter._

_Hey, back to Hollyleaf!_

_Thanks to my reviewers: _Dawnpelt-of-Iceclan, Warriors--Skywing, Silverstorm of Riverclan, Crazyreader96, Brackenfurlover, _and_ Allygirl56._

* * *

_**Chapter 16**

"I followed your tracks," he told her. "I didn't think you were as crazy as this to go into a bog. But it helped. I followed your muddy paw prints all the way here."

Hollyleaf starred at him, her eyes wide. He'd come back! Her Raven had come back to her!

"Thorn, bring her," the tortoiseshell jerked his head and turned away. He slipped around the she-cat that stood behind him. She gazed darkly at Hollyleaf and then  
walked after Raven.

Hollyleaf was bumped by the tom behind her and the rouge to the side stared at her until she started walking. Hollyleaf didn't fight the rouges. She didn't think she could get away. It was dangerous to fight above the bog when a cat could fall in and sink beyond sight.

Hollyleaf was more able to jump to the other branches as the sun rose. Raven led the way out of the bog and on the way Hollyleaf did notice the tracks she'd left last night. She would have escaped but for those marks! She hissed at herself in annoyance.

Thorn, a dusty brown cat with spots, twitched an ear and nudged her. The other rouge continued to stay on a different branch where she could watch and make sure their prisoner didn't escape. Hollyleaf only spared that she-cat one glance and then kept her eyes on Raven and the gray ginger with him. Finally they were out of Tanglewood.

Raven jumped to the ground. A tabby approached him.

"We couldn't find evidence of any other cat," he meowed.

Raven nodded. "They probably aren't here then."

He turned back to Hollyleaf. She stood on the ground, hemmed in by three other rouges. She now counted seven cats with Raven. She didn't know what he was doing with the band of rouges, but she knew now he was looking for her sons.

"Where are they?" he asked again.

Hollyleaf kept quiet. He shouldn't know where Dewstep and Darkfire were. If he wanted her sons, he wouldn't get them.

"Hollyleaf, I have to know what you've done with them."

"How do you know if they lived?" Hollyleaf hissed. "You left me all alone. I couldn't catch enough prey. Those kits starved to death!"

She could see she'd hurt him. He seemed ashamed and he looked away. "You can't tell me that, Holly," he meowed, not looking at her. "Spice saw them a moon ago." He nodded to the gray and ginger she-cat with the scarred face.

Hollyleaf looked at the other cat blankly for a while, then she remembered Darkfire's story about a rouge. This was that cat? She gulped. All the rouges were banding together against her and her sons. Now that she thought about it, she saw two other rouges she'd chased off before. They were memorable because of their missing limbs: an ear and an eye, the other missing a front paw.

"You see," Raven was meowing, "She came to me a little over a quarter moon ago. She had a story about two cats that chased her off their territory. The story seemed familiar to me and I thought of you. Then I remembered our sons. A black and a gray. Spice said that's what they looked like and that they were brothers. I knew they had to be mine. Now I'm asking you, where are they?"

He stared into Hollyleaf's green eyes. She could see a spark of anger in the depths.

"What is it to you?" she snapped. "Did you want to get revenge for this-this . . . _mate_ of yours? Were you going to hurt your sons for this she-cat?"

Raven growled, his tail lashing. Then he closed his eyes and breathed in deep.

"I came to save them from you," he answered, opening his eyes.

"Save them?" Hollyleaf asked. "From me?"

Then she laughed. "What ever for? You've been gone this long, Raven. They don't even know you. They don't trust rouges."

"That's exactly what I mean," the tortoiseshell answered. "You've poisoned their minds. You probably convinced them that your code is the only thing. They probably sound just like you when you defend it." He shook his head. "I should have stayed to make sure they didn't end up like you."

"They grew up fine without your help," Hollyleaf hissed. "Better than they would have been if you'd been there."

"You see," Raven meowed, with a small smirk. "I knew they were alive."

Hollyleaf's eyes widened. He'd tricked her! How dare he!

"You won't ever find them," she snarled.

"I don't believe you've stooped to kit murder yet, Holly," Raven purred dangerously then turned away. "Riddle, could you find any trail?"

The tabby shook his head. "I don't think they've been here for a long while. They must have left after they hurt Spice."

Raven nodded. That would make sense. What other way to prove themselves to Hollyleaf than to run off an innocent cat they called a rouge? Holly must have had them do something after that, something that had made them leave. . . .

Hollyleaf watched the tortoiseshell's eyes widen and then look back at her. "You sent them to the lake," he meowed quietly.

"You are making a long stretch," she hissed back.

"But you didn't say 'no'."

"I could be lying if I said that, but I could also be lying if I said yes," she told him arrogantly.

"That's not your style," he meowed.

"What do you know of my 'style'?" she growled. "You left before you got to know me. Then you got yourself another mate." She glared at the she-cat that stood by him.

"I learned enough about you to know you're crazy," Raven answered still avoided claiming Spice as his own. "You're obsessed with that code. You were obsessed with your family breaking that code. I know that you'd send your sons to your family just to get your revenge. Revenge isn't _my_ style," he meowed. "I only plan to get my sons back before they hurt more cats.

"We're going to the lake."

* * *

**Other names for Raven included: Styx, Clay, River, Olive, Patch.  
Other names for Spice: Spark, Ash, Gale, Regret, Ginger.**

**Tell me what you like better and I'll change the names.**


	18. Chapter 17 More Cats

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter._

_Once more, thanks to my reviewers._

_To _Allygirl56_: I like your idea. What cat do you think would make a good mate?_

_To everyone else: Do you think Raven should be changed to River, and Spice to Spark? Thanks to _Brambleberry or Lionflight _for helping._

* * *

**Chapter 17**

"I was going to have Cinderheart battle Dewstep," Brackenfur shook his head. His daughter seemed surprised, but remained silent as Lionblaze meowed, "I'd like the apprentices to see what happens when they face a larger opponent."

The apprentices nodded their heads, they were willing to learn that. Most warriors were larger than them at this point in their life. Eventually they'd be able to match any average warrior, but for now they were still young and needed to know what to do.

Graystripe shared a glance with Brackenfur. They seemed to think Lionblaze meant more than what he was saying but they didn't protest as Lionblaze walked to the center of the hollow.

"Pricklepaw," Lionblaze turned to his apprentice, "what advantages does a smaller cat have against a larger one?"

"They're faster," Pricklepaw meowed.

"Good," Lionblaze praised. "So what should Dewstep do?"

Run away, Dewstep thought, still crouched down, wary of the golden warrior. He glanced at a close tree, judging if he could climb it before Lionblaze caught up.

"Avoid your attacks," Pricklepaw continued.

Lionblaze nodded. Then he looked at Dewstep. Darkfire growled from where he stood. Dewstep knew he didn't trust Lionblaze.

Lionblaze started the attack by running forward and then extending his front paws. Dewstep quickly leapt away and turned to keep Lionblaze in his sight. Lionblaze was relentless. He kept coming after Dewstep, giving Dewstep no time to recover or, in some cases, catch his balance. Dewstep stared at Lionblaze, ignoring his surroundings. He had to make sure the big warrior didn't have a chance to catch him. To pin him down. Dewstep knew he couldn't overpower Lionblaze. He also knew he couldn't push the warrior over. He could only dodge attacks to tire the tom down and perhaps go for the legs and throat. He did that now.

Lionblaze struck out with his front paw. Everyone was expecting Dewstep to get out of the way but were surprised when the gray ran forward and cut the leg Lionblaze was balancing on. Lionblaze slumped over, trying to get his feet back under him. Dewstep continued the attack by jumping onto Lionblaze's shoulders and clawing the warrior's side with his back legs.

Dewstep was startled, but not surprised when Lionblaze shook him off, and while Dewstep was trying to push himself from the sandy floor, placed his large paws on Dewstep's body. Dewstep was defeated.

This time the apprentices cheered, glad one of the Clan had won.

"Dewstep did a good job," Graystripe meowed when they calmed down. "He could have continued to avoid Lionblaze, but he didn't. He did do something unexpected, which is another good advantage. Now it's time for us to leave."

He waved his tail and he and Brackenfur walked off, Dewstep and Darkfire hurrying after.

"Are you okay?" Darkfire asked.

"Yes," Dewstep panted.

"I'm glad he didn't hurt you," Darkfire sighed.

"So am I," Dewstep nodded. He hadn't believed it was possible to win the match, but he was still disappointed that his first fight had been lost. He really didn't think the Clan would accept him for his battle skills. He wasn't likely to improve or grow like the apprentices would.

"Sorry about that," Graystripe meowed when the brothers caught up. They were out in ThunderClan territory, far away from the training hollow. "I don't know what Lionblaze was thinking."

"It doesn't matter," Dewstep meowed. "He just wanted to teach the apprentices something."

Graystripe and Brackenfur shared the same glance they had before.

"There is one thing we wanted to talk to you about," Brackenfur meowed slowly.

The brothers waited.

"In the training, you seemed to act more aggressive than you should have," the ginger continued. "It was only practice so threatening to kill Cloudtail wasn't appropriate," he meowed looking at Darkfire who glanced away. "And using your back claws was dangerous."

"But we were training," Dewstep protested.

"It wasn't a real battle," Graystripe explained. "That is the only time it should be serious. This way no accidents can occur that would impair our warrior. You might have been taught differently away from the Clan. I'm sure that was the only way to survive, but here we don't hurt warriors in battle training."

Dewstep and Darkfire shared a glance. Darkfire seemed to think this was all mouse brained, but Dewstep was worried. He had hoped they'd done well in training. Instead they'd just made mistakes.

"We're sorry," Dewstep meowed.

"Just as long as it doesn't happen again," Brackenfur told them. "We'll be doing this again another day, to make sure you can defend yourselves. Now it's time for us to do other things. Darkfire, I'm going to show you ThunderClan's borders."

The two walked off.

-**_L-_**

"Today you're going to hunt again," Graystripe meowed to Dewstep. "Later you'll help the apprentices. Now let's find some other cats to come with us."

They walked back to camp where Graystripe was joined by Dustpelt and Ivyflight. They went out to the WindClan side of the territory.

Hunting all the time wasn't what Dewstep had thought Clan live would be like. It didn't seem much different from being in the forest with Hollyleaf. One of the only differences was that he had to bring more prey back to camp than he usually did.

While Dewstep hunted, he thought of other things that made living in ThunderClan different. He knew eventually he'd be sleeping in the warriors den. There would be a lot of cats there. Other than that, life wouldn't be much different. He would still be obeying the warrior code and protecting his territory from the other Clans.

"How many cats are in the Clan?" Dewstep asked Graystripe when they met up again.

"How many?" Graystripe seemed surprised. "I don't know." He got a thoughtful look on his face.

"Well there's me, Firestar, Sandstorm, Dustpelt, we are about the same age," he meowed looking at Dewstep. "Longtail is the oldest one from the old forest. The younger cats from there are Brackenfur, Ferncloud, Cloudtail, Brightheart, Brambleclaw, Thornclaw, Sorreltail, Squirrelflight, Whitewing, and Spiderleg. In this forest Poppyfrost, Birchfall, Hazeltail, Berrynose, Cinderheart, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Icefang, Briarclaw, Bumblethroat, Toadheart, Rosewing, Ledgewalker, Redstrike. They were born here. Then we had Daisy and Millie added. And we have the four apprentices you met and currently two kits and more on the way," Graystripe finished.

Dewstep didn't know how he could keep track of all of them. He thought there were too many cats. No wonder accepting more was going to be a strain on ThunderClan.

"Why did you want to know?" Graystripe asked.

"I just did," he answered. "I never knew there were so many cats."

"The other Clans are just as big," Graystripe explained. "There haven't been many battles for a while, so no cats have died that way. There have been other accidents, like foxes or badgers. And we've had greencough in camp a few times, but nothings desimated our numbers yet. This is the largest the Clan's ever been I believe."

Dewstep murmured an agreement.

"Were you told about the old forest by your mother?" Graystripe asked.

Dewstep nodded.

"What did she tell you about it?"

"That all the cats had to leave because the twolegs were taking territory. She told me about the six cats from the Clans that spoke to a badger. I liked those stories."

Graystripe didn't comment but went back to hunting. Dewstep quickly got back to his job too, passing Ivyflight as she buried a shrew. She looked up at him and gave a small smile. He hesitantly gave one back. Would he be accepted into this Clan by the warriors before Firestar decided to make him a ThunderClan warrior?

* * *

** The cats Graystripe doesn't mention are no longer part of the Clan or are dead. Sorry if they were your favorites.**


	19. Chapter 18 ShadowClan

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to one reviewer: _Warriors--Skywing _who managed to keep up with the randomly uploaded chapters. Thanks also for your opinion on the names._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 18**

Darkfire didn't consider himself a jealous cat, but when he saw how Dewstep fit in with the Clan so much, he hurt inside and wanted to fit in as well. He felt a spark of anger toward his brother on those occasions. Then he would feel guilt because he was angry with Dewstep. It wasn't Dewstep's fault. The young tom simply knew how to make friends. He was talkative and didn't hold grudges and he was willing to learn and to listen. That made him a perfect addition to ThunderClan.

Darkfire, on the other hand, was usually silent. He didn't like to talk much with other cats. The only one he could express himself to was Dewstep, but lately that wasn't happening as often. Dewstep would be off with the apprentices or doing ThunderClan duties. He'd become a favorite with the apprentices because he wasn't annoyed to be helping them, especially when it came to the elders.

The only elder was Longtail, who might have been retiring naturally now, but had long since become an elder because of his eyes. The poor tom was bored in the elders' den. He couldn't do much safely on his own and so had to stay there. Dewstep provided the company. Not only would he change the bedding or find ticks and fleas, he let Longtail talk to him as much as he wanted. Dewstep particularly liked listening to the stories that Longtail knew. Darkfire would find Dewstep in the elders' den on more than one occasion. He'd just be laying there, gazing at Longtail who would be deep in another story. The apprentices eventually thought this was fun as well and they'd lay around with Dewstep when they got the chance.

Darkfire didn't have patience with stories. He preferred things straight to the point, not flourished with excitement that probably never really happened. So when Brackenfur had him helping the apprentices as they took care of Longtail, he didn't sit around for the story like the rest of them. That made the apprentices not like him as much. Not that Lightningpaw needed another excuse. She was still mad that Darkfire had defeated her mentor and at the first meeting effortlessly batted her away. She could hold a grudge. So could her mentor. Cloudtail still disliked Darkfire and avoided him or ignored him when they were close to each other. It was this tension that didn't make the other Clan cats invite Darkfire to do things with them.

Darkfire realized being in ThunderClan wasn't going to work. He knew then he should have listened to Hollyleaf when she wanted her sons to go to different Clans. Darkfire made his decision one day. He left ThunderClan territory when Brackenfur wanted him to hunt for the Clan. He slipped over the border and waited by the lake near ShadowClan territory. This was the last Clan to try and enter.

Darkfire didn't know how he'd be received by these cats. They had rouges aplenty within their Clan, but ever since Sol, they didn't trust outsiders much. They might not trust Darkfire when he said he wanted to be a member of their Clan. It would be hard to convince them the code had to be restored because they would be wary of what he had to say. They wouldn't want him taking over like Sol had tried. Darkfire knew he'd left the easy Clan to Dewstep.

Dewstep would be devastated when he realized Darkfire had gone. Darkfire felt a twinge of guilt when he thought about his brother. He hadn't said goodbye because he knew Dewstep would have told him not to leave and that ThunderClan would accept him, he just had to be patient. Darkfire didn't believe they ever would. Besides, he had to do what Hollyleaf wanted. Not that he thought this was the best course, but because he knew in the end Dewstep would want him to do what Hollyleaf ordered. Dewstep really believed their mother. He would do anything for her. Darkfire wasn't so loyal as knew his mother and brother thought he was. He only did this for his brother. He wanted Dewstep to be happy and he thought this was the only way. Dewstep always wanted to please Hollyleaf and when she was happy he was happy. For now Dewstep would be sad that Darkfire had left him alone, but eventually Dewstep would see that Darkfire had been right to leave ThunderClan. Dewstep was safe there. Darkfire would have just been a nuisance to that Clan.

Darkfire sat by the border. Where was ShadowClan? It was passed sunhigh, but he still hadn't seen a patrol. He knew ThunderClan would be looking for him now. He couldn't let them find him here.

"You smell of ThunderClan," a voice growled at him from a tree. Dewstep looked up to see a cat laying on a branch. Briefly he thought Dewstep might fit into this Clan as well. Why was his brother always so lucky?

"I came from their territory," Darkfire told the she-cat. "I was trying to become part of their Clan, but I found I didn't fit in so well there."

"I don't know how anyone could," the cat answered. "But what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to ask Blackstar if I could join his Clan."

"And you expect him to accept you? A cat from ThunderClan?"

"I can only hope," Darkfire shrugged. "If it is the will of StarClan, then I will be your Clanmate."

The she-cat seemed to think about that. "Stay here. If you really want to enter ShadowClan then you will stay," she meowed, staring at him hard.

Darkfire didn't ask where she was going. He had no doubt she was getting someone in charge. Deputy or leader. He briefly glanced back to ThunderClan territory. He wasn't sure if he was making sure no ThunderClan cat saw him, or if he wanted Dewstep to be there by his side, telling Blackstar what they wanted. He'd heard Dewstep's whole speech by now and he knew what to say and what questions a Clan leader might ask. He just had to tell the same thing to Blackstar.

He didn't have to wait long. Soon there were more cats approaching through the sparse undergrowth of ShadowClan.

"Well?" asked the white cat with black paws. He had four other cats with him. All looked deadly. If Darkfire offended them, he was likely to get hurt.

"My name is Darkfire and I want to join ShadowClan."

After that came the usual questions that had always been asked. Blackstar seemed unmoved as Darkfire pleaded his case. Darkfire was beginning to believe this was useless. Blackstar simply didn't care. He wouldn't ever let Darkfire in.

"Stay," Blackstar ordered and then he and his warriors walked off. Darkfire knew they would talk about him now. Talk and then refuse. He was surprised when they finally came back. Their expressions didn't change as Blackstar meowed, "You will be given a chance to prove yourself."

They all started walking off. Darkfire was startled and hesitated for a moment. Then he hurried after. He was actually being considered for acceptance. He was surprised. He wondered why they were willing to let him enter. He continued to think as the shadows of the trees closed over him. He headed into the ShadowClan territory.

* * *

**Vote for what happens to Hollyleaf. Its on my profile page.**


	20. Chapter 19 Dewstep

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to the voters, reviewers, and readers._

* * *

**Chapter 19**

Dewstep got worried when Darkfire didn't return that night. Brackenfur spoke to him when Darkfire didn't return from the hunting assignment and Dewstep said maybe he was busy and would come back before sunset. When that didn't happen, he began to wonder if a fox or badger had gotten his brother while he was hunting.

Firestar sent out a few cats to track his brother to see if there was danger in the ThunderClan territory. It was getting dark though and the cats really didn't want to stay out at night. Dewstep didn't know why. They could see in the dark but for some reason they couldn't break from the habit they'd made for themselves. They always slept at night so they could do Clan things during the day, like all the other Clans by the lake. Firestar let the other cats come back, promising that in the morning he'd send out more.

Dewstep spent that night alone in the fallen tree. The half moon glowed above. The medicine cats were going at the Moonpool that night. In another quarter moon the Gathering would take place. Dewstep and Darkfire had been away from home for over a moon. It was this night he finally missed being with Hollyleaf. He wondered what she was doing and if she missed him. What would she do if Darkfire was dead? Dewstep had always thought Darkfire was her favorite kit, but he didn't let that affect his relationship with Darkfire. His brother had always looked out for him and this time Dewstep was worried no one else would. What if Firestar didn't want Dewstep in the Clan? What would he do then? Dewstep didn't want to go back home without Darkfire.

_**-L-**_

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the High Ledge," came Firestar's voice.

It was morning already. Dewstep quickly got out from the fallen tree. The Clan gathered around him. Did Firestar know anything?

"We are missing a member of this Clan," Firestar meowed. "I request a tracking group to find him. We may find a fox or a badger so no apprentices will be allowed to go."

The Clan didn't readily volunteer to find Darkfire until Dewstep shouted, "I'm going!"

Graystripe gave support, and after that two other cats decided to go as well, Ivyflight and Lionblaze. Graystripe led the way from camp after asking Brackenfur where he'd last seen Darkfire. Brackenfur seemed worried when he told them. Darkfire knew he must have wondered if something bad had happened to the cat he was meant to teach.

For the rest of the day the searchers tried to find Darkfire, but a light rain that had quickly come in before morning had cleared out the old scents. The group also found no signs of blood or a struggle in that section of the forest. Finally Graystripe had to call off the search since it was almost dark.

Dewstep listlessly went back to camp. Where was his brother? If he hadn't been killed, then what had happened? Why didn't he come back?

Ivyflight walked beside Dewstep. She licked his ear.

"At least he's still alive," she meowed to him. "He might show up again. Is there anything he might be doing that would keep him away?"

Dewstep thought about that. At first he didn't think there was a reason why Darkfire would leave. Then he remembered what Hollyleaf had told them. She would be visiting to see how they managed. He hadn't thought she'd come so soon. He'd been expecting her to come next season when he and Darkfire had had enough time to gain the trust of their Clanmates. But maybe she was near and Darkfire had found her. Maybe they were discussing things or looking for a place Hollyleaf could stay while her sons restored the code. Darkfire might come back!

Dewstep felt happier after that, but there was still something that bothered him. Why wouldn't Darkfire tell Dewstep about it? What if something had happened to Darkfire?

**_-L-_**

In the coming days, Darkfire was not seen again. Dewstep stayed in camp to make sure of it. He finally had to believe Darkfire wasn't coming back. That worried him. He knew Darkfire wasn't with Hollyleaf now. So what had happened?

Dewstep didn't even go to training after he believed Darkfire had been killed. His body must have been taken away because so far no patrol had found him. Dewstep stayed in the fallen tree, grieving alone. Then one day the apprentices came by. They asked him to visit Longtail with them, but he curled up and said no.

He knew he'd hurt their feelings but he didn't care at that moment. He d seen how the cats of ThunderClan hadn't missed his brother. It wasn't until then he realized Darkfire hadn't gotten along with anyone. He felt bad that he hadn't noticed. Maybe if he'd made sure Darkfire had a friend or two more cats would have looked for him.

Finally Firestar came to visit Dewstep. Dewstep respectfully let him enter the fallen tree.

"I know you miss your brother," Firestar started. "And I regret that no one in the Clan could find him. I don't want you to believe ThunderClan had anything to do with his disappearance." The ginger looked at Dewstep.

"No," Dewstep meowed, surprised. "I don't believe you did. Why would you think so?"

"I noticed Darkfire didn't get along with many cats," Firestar meowed. "I wondered if you thought those cats had gotten rid of him."

"No," Dewstep shook his head. "I think a wild animal got him." He looked sadly down. "Killing other cats doesn't seem like ThunderClan's way."

"As a group, no," Firestar meowed. "But there are individuals that do so. There isn't a guarantee Darkfire wasn't killed by Cloudtail or Berrynose." Dewstep knew Firestar mentioned those two because there had been obvious dislike from those cats. "I don't believe they did. But where else could Darkfire's body have gone if a cat hadn't hidden him?"

Dewstep looked away. He didn't want to think about that.

"I don't believe he's dead, Dewstep," Firestar soothed. "Your brother didn't seem happy here. Some cats aren't meant to be part of a Clan. I think your brother went off and is still alive."

"Why didn't he say goodbye?" Dewstep squeaked like a kit. For some reason he was more willing to believe Darkfire was still alive if Firestar said so. "If he is still alive, why didn't he tell me he was leaving?"

"You might have stopped him," Firestar explained. "He probably didn't want you to and knew this was the best way."

Dewstep stayed silent. He was suddenly hopeful his brother was still alive and he didn't want to continue believing his brother had joined StarClan, but he also didn't want to think Darkfire purposefully left without telling Dewstep he would. That was almost more painful.

"You are meant to be a Clan cat," Firestar continued. Dewstep looked up. "I think it's time you became a full member."

Dewstep let a small glimmer of pride reach him. He'd finally made it. He was to be a ThunderClan cat. But Darkfire wasn't there to share it with him. He let the smile slid off his face. He nodded to Firestar who led the way from the fallen tree.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the High Ledge!" Firestar called. The Clan, if they were in camp, came out and sat there.

When Firestar thought all the cats were there he started.

"Dewstep has learned to be a ThunderClan cat and I believe it is time to welcome him as a warrior."

The Clan called their approval, no longer caring that he was a rouge.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I confirm his name. Dewstep we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." The leader jumped off of the ledge and walked to Dewstep. He placed his head over Dewstep's and the gray tom licked Firestar's shoulder.

He knew this was different from the time Hollyleaf had named him. Now he was serving a Clan. He was a part of something. He could truly uphold the warrior code now.

"Dewstep! Dewstep!" the Clan called to him.

Dewstep wasn't frightened of the multitude now. He was used to all of the cats. And he felt himself becoming happy once more as he was congratulated by friends. Darkfire had given this up and though Dewstep didn't know why, he wished his brother well and knew he alone had to fulfill Hollyleaf's dream.

* * *

**The day Darkfire disappeared is the day Raven found Hollyleaf, just so you know.**

**Does anyone think this story has gone on too long?**


	21. Chapter 20 Gathering

_Disclamer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my encouraging reviewers:_ Dawnpelt-of-Iceclan, Shadedgladexjf, Hollyleaffan, Warriors--Skywing, Silverstorm of RiverClan.

_To everyone else: vote for what happens to Hollyleaf on my profile page._

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Now Dewstep knew he'd never seen so many cats ever in his life before. They were all here, cats from every Clan: RiverClan, WindClan, ThunderClan, and ShadowClan. They were a swirl of colors, scents, and sounds that Dewstep could hardly take in. He loved it here!

Dewstep walked among the other cats of the Gathering, following Ivyflight who promised to show him everything. She introduced him to other cats, brought him to hidden pools on the island, and even took him to where some of the elders were so he could listen to the other Clans' stories.

Dewstep was exhausted by the time the leaders called for the beginning of the Gathering. He laid down next to Ivyflight. Dovetooth joined them on his other side.

Onestar was the first leader to speak. Dewstep looked up at the leader who had gotten his position untraditionally. Hollyleaf believed that had been wrong, but she also believed ThunderClan would have had trouble if Mudfur had been called as the leader of WindClan.

Also, the Clans would have never used the island for their Gathering place, Dewstep thought.

"The prey runs fine," Onestar meowed. "And our Clan is strong. We welcome two new warriors to our Clan. Meadowdawn and Fenneltail."

The two she-cats stood and the Clans called their welcome.

RiverClan spoke next.

"The fish are still there," Leopardstar meowed. "The twolegs have stayed on their half-bridge and the lake. We haven't been bothered by their kits. Our Clan remains strong."

She backed off as Firestar came forward.

"ThunderClan continues to grow. We welcome three warriors to our Clan. Ledgewalker, Redstrike, and Dewstep."

Dewstep was nudged up by Ivyflight. He stood as the rest of the Clans evaluated ThunderClan's new warriors. Dewstep and the others were welcomed by the other Clans, but Dewstep could hear some reluctance. He wondered why. He knew it wasn't directed to him, but it still bothered him.

"Our territory is providing for us," Firestar ended.

Blackstar was the last cat to come forward. Dewstep could see that he was getting old. He was practically the oldest cat around the lake at this point. He should have joined the elders if he'd been a regular warrior. Dewstep also knew that he was one of the last leaders to get his nine lives, other than Onestar, and that could mean he had many lives left.

"ShadowClan is well and we welcome one new warrior. Needlefur." The young dark brown warrior stood. The Clans welcomed him.

"ShadowClan is welcoming less and less warriors," Dovetooth murmured next to Dewstep.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"For the last six Gatherings there weren't any new warriors at all," she explained. "They were hit hard by greencough and it killed of a good number of their warriors. In the old forest there was another sickness and that decimated the Clan before Tigerstar let rouges into the Clan. ShadowClan just doesn't have the same number of cats as the rest of the Clans."

"ThunderClan is the biggest," Ivyflight put in. "The other Clans are worried we'll have so many warriors we'll want to take some of their land."

"But we won't," Dewstep meowed, "that would be against the code."

"It would," Ivyflight agreed. "But sometimes if we were to follow the code, we'd die. Firestar won't let our Clan starve. So far our territory is holding, but if we continue to grow . . . we won't have enough prey." She shook her head.

"Come on," Dovetooth meowed. The other cats were leaving.

While Dewstep thought about Ivyflight's words, Leopardstar approached.

"I see you finally became a warrior," she purred to him.

He nodded his head.

"What happened to your brother? I didn't see him with you," Leopardstar meowed.

"He . . . left," Dewstep meowed quietly. "We haven't seen him for a while now."

"I'm sorry." Leopardstar let her tail brushed Dewstep briefly in sympathy. "He could have made a fine warrior."

Dewstep nodded. The RiverClan leader left.

"You know Leopardstar?" Dovetooth asked, surprised.

"Darkfire and I asked her first if we could be part of her Clan," Dewstep explained as he walked with the sisters, following the stream of cats off of the island.

"Oh," Dovetooth mewed. "She must have liked you. She seemed almost friendly tonight."

"She said she'd let us into the Clan. It was just her senior warrior were against it. So Darkfire and I had to go to a different Clan."

"RiverClan is doing well," Ivyflight meowed. "They don't need more warriors. But she really considered it?"

"Darkfire and I can swim," Dewstep explained. "I think that impressed her."

"You can swim?" the sisters meowed together.

"Yes," Dewstep laughed. He was feeling better now. He wondered if he'd ever get over missing Darkfire.

"So can Cinderheart," Ivyflight meowed as they crossed the fallen tree bridge. "I think that's just . . . strange."

"Yeah," Dovetooth agreed.

Dewstep just smiled.

* * *

**Sorry for the shortness of the chapter. I'll upload the next when I get back from a meeting.  
**


	22. Chapter 21 Something More

_Disclaimer: Warrior by Erin Hunter_

_Thank you for your patience. Here's the next chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 21**

Dewstep and Graystripe patrolled along the WindClan border with Poppyfrost and Icefang. It was a quiet day, a quarter moon after the Gathering.

"Do you expect any trouble from WindClan?" Dewstep asked.

"No," Graystripe answered. "They haven't bothered us for a while now. They're scared that if they make us mad we'll attack."

"So it's good to have a big Clan then," Dewstep meowed.

Graystripe shook his head. "No."

"It gets hard in leafbare," Poppyfrost meowed. "We could hardly catch enough prey the last two."

"It's also a lot easier to spread sickness," Icefang put in.

Dewstep shivered, realizing that a disastrous illness could hit ThunderClan at any time and kill cats like it had in ShadowClan.

"So why did you let me into the Clan?" he asked.

"Firestar wouldn't turn anyone away," Icefang answered. "I supposed that's a good thing in a way, but it's also bad because it puts our Clan at risk."

Dewstep nodded. He was grateful Firestar had accepted him, but he was wondering why Firestar didn't protect his Clan better. Firestar seemed too soft-hearted now that Dewstep had met him. Hollyleaf had always spoken like he was a ruthless code breaker, wanting to disobey the code any chance he got, but Dewstep could now see the ThunderClan leader in a different light.

"Poppyfrost," Graystripe meowed, breaking Dewstep's thoughts. "Go ahead and see if WindClan is nearby. I can smell them."

"It must have been a patrol," Poppyfrost shrugged, but ran ahead of the group. Icefang hesitated then joined the she-cat warrior.

Dewstep realized he and Graystripe was alone. He finally got to ask a question he'd always been wondering.

"Why did you fall in love with a RiverClan cat?" He knew it was blunt but he could never figure out why Graystripe would want to look outside of his Clan for a mate. It would probably help him understand why Leafpool and Crowfeather had become mates.

"You heard about that?" Graystripe asked.

Dewstep nodded. "I heard. I also know that it was against the code but you did it anyway. How could you love a cat from another Clan?"

Graystripe was silent for a while. "Cats from different Clans are still cats. When I first saw Silverstream, I knew she was the one. She knew it as well. It started small, but when she was going to have my kits, I was thrilled. I gave up my Clan so I could be with those kits," Graystripe meowed. He was suddenly choked up.

When he recovered, he continued, "I was devastated when Silverstream died, so I had to stay with the only things that reminded me of my love. But now . . . Feathertail has died and Stormfur's with the Tribe of Rushing Water. I'm not sad Stormfur's gone because he has his own mate he loves as much as I loved his mother, but I do miss them on occasion."

"But why did you break the code?"

"Silverstream said it best once," Graystripe meowed quietly. "Sometimes there's more than the code. We believed our bond was StarClan blessed."

But she died, Dewstep thought. Obviously StarClan had objected. But for the rest of the day, he could only think of the words Graystripe had said, "Sometimes there's more than the code."

What was more important than the warrior code?

**_-L-_**

"We saw your brother."

Dewstep looked up from the bird he was eating.

"Where?" he demanded.

"He was with a ShadowClan patrol," Lionblaze meowed. The four other cats with him nodded.

"Why?" Dewstep asked, dazed. Darkfire was with ShadowClan?

"He must have joined ShadowClan," Whitewing meowed. "Probably after leaving ours. That was why we could never find him."

Darkfire left me for ShadowClan? It was the only thing Dewstep could think.

"We'll have to tell Firestar," Lionblaze continued. Then he led the patrol away.

After a while, Dewstep realized what Darkfire had actually done. He'd joined another Clan to make restoring the code easier.

"_Convince one Clan it needs to be done and the rest will not notice_", Hollyleaf had meowed, "_but convince two and you will have won, as the rest will follow_."

Darkfire must have come up with a way to convince ShadowClan the code was being broken and needed to be fix. Or at least he thought he could accomplish it. Dewstep realized that ShadowClan had only accepted Darkfire because they didn't have a lot of warriors. They wouldn't have trusted Darkfire otherwise. Dewstep didn't know if Darkfire would succeed in fixing the code over in ShadowClan.

He didn't know if he could succeed in ThunderClan. So far he hadn't found any way to convince the other cats they weren't following the code correctly. All the cats he'd met were following the code as far as he knew. It wasn't being broken as often as Hollyleaf said it was. He was beginning to think his mother was wrong. And he didn't think there was a reason to take over ThunderClan when it was being led by a generous leader. Of course the Clan was filled with half-Clan cats and kittypets, but the Clan was still working. There might be tensions, but that was between a few cats, the rest of the Clan ignored it.

Dewstep knew he had to talk to his brother about it. He could recall once that Darkfire had said there was no point in fixing the Clans or the codes. That had been the day they'd learned to swim. He had to know if Darkfire still meant it. Because now Dewstep didn't want to restore the code. There was nothing to restore. There were mistakes on occasion but no one purposefully went out to destroy the code. And when it was disobeyed there was usually something more important being done that made it irrelevant.

Dewstep thought he'd figured out those cryptic words of Graystripe. The 'more' was cats' lives. Whenever Firestar had broken the code in his past, he'd done it to preserve a starving Clan or to save his own. Dewstep had also figured out Silverstream's and Graystripe's something more. It was love. It was that same love that had produced Jayfeather, Lionblaze, and Hollyleaf. At the same time it was against the code, but now that Graystripe had opened Dewstep's mind to it, he wondered if it was bad at all. If Leafpool and Crowfeather hadn't met, then Dewstep wouldn't have been there.

Dewstep was confused and he knew he had to see Darkfire to talk about it. He had to know what his brother thought. And to do that, he had to find out where Lionblaze had last seen Darkfire.

Dewstep quickly finished off his bird and said goodbye to Ivyflight and Dovetooth who had been eating with him. He asked Whitewing where Lionblaze had been. She told him he'd gone to Jayfeather's den. So Dewstep went there but only Jayfeather's apprentice was there. Toadheart told Dewstep that Lionblaze and Jayfeather had gone out to get herbs.

Dewstep left the medicine cat's den. He was so frustrated. Why did Lionblaze have to leave camp when Dewstep needed him? He quickly left camp, searching for the brothers. He followed their scents. He was close when he heard them talking.

"There isn't any evidence."

"There isn't any for Ivyflight or Dovetooth either," Jayfeather answered. "Perhaps they need time."

"But now there's more cats that could be one of the Three!" Lionblaze exclaimed. "How will we ever know?"

"There is still no guarantee Dewstep and Darkfire are our brothers. It's just a theory," Jayfeather soothed. "We can concentrate on Ivyflight and Dovetooth. I'm just saying we should still watch Dewstep to see if he has any powers."

"Well we know he can be bested in a fight," Lionblaze meowed.

"No one could beat you," Jayfeather answered, not impressed. "Besides why have two fighters? Or two medicine cats? The power has to be something else."

Lionblaze agreed.

Dewstep quickly backed off, not wanting to listen to anymore. He didn't like where the conversation was heading. They thought he was one of the Three. But only if he was Leafpool's kit. Then Dewstep realized it wouldn't matter, he was Hollyleaf's and that was still family to these toms. He could be the third. Only if Hollyleaf wasn't a part of the prophesy anymore. Dewstep was even more confused now. What if he was?


	23. Chapter 22 Lake Search

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter._

_Thanks to all those reviewers:_ Silverstorm of Riverclan, Brackenfurlover, Swiftpaw of Windclan, Warriors--Skywing, VioletRose52, Sillver, Brambleberry & Lionflight, HollyleafLUVSyou, Allygirl56, _and_ Dovekit.

_Thanks to everyone's ideas, I like them. Thank you for telling me what you thought. Your comments make me happy.  
_

_To_ Brackenfurlover: _Great idea, unfortunately I'm not letting Darkfire or Dewstep be the Third. That would get too complicated for me. But I think that power would be cool and the idea of splitting the Three between Clans is awesome._

_To HollyleafLUVSyou: __Good luck, thank you, and don't get caught! :)_

_Raven and Spice will keep their names because only one person objected. Thanks to Brambleberry or Lionflight _(Bramblebery & Lionflight?) _for your opinion._

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 22**

Hollyleaf remained uncooperative. She didn't tell Raven where the lake was and she didn't tell him their kits' names. She simply frustrated him.

In the end, Raven had to find a different way to make it to the Clans. He sent scouts out to find a lake. They were to ask any cat they found if they knew anything about the Clans. Hollyleaf simply laughed at him. He'd never find the lake that way.

"You won't ever find my sons," she taunted, still not confirming if they'd gone to the lake at all. She knew that she had to make sure they had enough time to succeed.

"Tell me about them," he told her, ignoring her bad nature. "What are they like?"

Hollyleaf twitched an ear and didn't say. "Ask your new mate. She met them."

Raven sighed in frustration and walked away. He left Spice with Hollyleaf and her two guards: Thorn and Stub.

"I don't know why you keep torturing each other," Spice meowed, shaking her head.

Hollyleaf turned a baleful gaze on the gray and ginger she-cat.

"I think you torture him enough. He just has to look at your face and squirm," Hollyleaf growled.

Now Spice glared at her. "Your son did this to me. That dark monster. At least the other one tried to defend me."

Hollyleaf stared at Spice in surprise. Dewstep had tried defended a rouge? She could recall when Darkfire told her the story. He hadn't said anything about his brother objecting. No wonder Dewstep had been distracted.

"If what Raven says is true, than it wasn't the black one's fault. It is yours," Spice snapped and walked off. "And he isn't my mate!"

Hollyleaf twitched her ears. She was caught off guard again.

Raven hadn't taken on another mate? What had he been doing all this time he'd gone?

Already she'd learned these cats followed Raven. They'd been with him awhile in a sort of Clan. The rouges all stayed together for company and to fight against dangerous animals, but they didn't share food often, there weren't any kits or nursing queens, and there wasn't a medicine cat to take care of the sick. Raven had brought all nine cats with him when he came to find Hollyleaf and his sons. Now only four stayed in Hollyleaf's territory: Raven, Spice, Thorn, and Stub. The last seven were searching for the lake. If what Spice said was true, than she wasn't one of Raven's. Hollyleaf realized she needed more information.

She looked at her guards wondering if she could talk to them. They so far hadn't made any advances to get to know her. They viewed her with disdain. They simply watched to make sure she didn't get away. Raven and Spice did all the hunting.

"Where did you meet Raven?" Hollyleaf asked Stub. This tom was missing part of his front leg. She'd met him when Darkfire and Dewstep had been kits and had to stay in the nest. He wouldn't be able to tell Raven if he'd seen the kits alive, but he did remember Hollyleaf. He gave a low growl and didn't answer.

"We met him and we thought he was crazy at first," Thorn meowed after looking between the two cats. "He spoke about some code that he thought sounded nice. Where the strong cats took care of the weak. We didn't like the idea that the leader had total control so when we finally decided to join him, we made sure he knew we would only listen to him so much. Raven finally agreed and after that more cats joined us. I never realized so many cats wanted direction."

So Raven wanted to create a Clan? Hollyleaf was stunned. He actually had listened to her all those times she spoke about the code. He'd used it to create his own Clan! Then Hollyleaf realized what the cats were doing. They were picking and choosing which rules to follow. That made her angry. They couldn't do that! It was the code placed by StarClan and they were important rules. All had to be followed to make a perfect Clan.

"After Stub and me joined," Thorn was continuing, "we went looking for other cats. We told them about what we were doing. After we had four more, we let the other cats come to us. Our territory is a few days that way." His tail waved in the direction Hollyleaf had first seen Raven.

"Spice was the latest addition. Cats usually stay if they have something wrong with them and they need time to heal. Raven asked her about the marks and when she told him the story, he got all tense and had to go away to think. We didn't even know he had a mate or kits until we got here."

So he really hadn't cared after he left? Hollyleaf felt sad. He'd left her without a second thought. He hadn't even cared about his kits until he thought Dewstep and Darkfire were hurting cats and he wanted to stop them.

"Where did you meet him?" Thorn asked.

"Here," Hollyleaf meowed quietly. "He was in my territory and I wanted him out. He distracted me with questions until I didn't want to attack. I don't even know why we fell in love."

Thorn looked at her in sympathy but the rest of the day they stayed silent.

********

"We have news," a dark ginger meowed.

"What?" Raven asked.

"We came upon some cats in the mountains," Spark answered. "They've heard of these Clan cats. They were almost as obsessive of that code you were talking about. Apparently they've had some trouble with a group of cats and these Clan cats came and tried to help them solve it. It didn't work out so well, the Tribe, as they call themselves, is still at war with these other cats."

"So where is the lake?" Raven asked impatiently.

"They couldn't give us good directions," Spark meowed apologetically. "But there is a cat who says he belongs to the Clans. He's reluctant to leave the Tribe at this time, but he says he'd take us to the lakes. He wanted to know what for and I said how we were looking for two of our own who'd spoken about the Clans before."

"Smart," Raven nodded.

"So you're not going to tell him that your sons are trying to take over?" Hollyleaf asked in pretend innocence. She knew that Spark was talking about Stormfur and she was mad that the cats had found the lake after all. Her sons would have no chance to restore the code if Raven managed to make it there. It was already a moonless night after the last full moon where she was certain her sons had been at their first Gathering. At this rate Raven might make it to the Clans by the next one. He would get there in time for leaf-fall. Hollyleaf felt cold.

* * *

**Thank you to all the voters. Hollyleaf will not be killed (I didn't have any ideas on how to do that any way). She will live with Raven when this story is all over.**

**Now you all have to vote for what happens to Raven!**

**Also, I'm going to change the rating from T to K+. Thanks to Dovekit for the answer.**


	24. Chapter 23 Darkfire

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 23**

"Lets go hunting together," Ivyflight meowed, bumping her head against Dewstep.

She broke through his distracted gaze.

"What?" he asked looking at her.

"Hunting. Me. You," she purred in amusement.

"Oh, okay," Dewstep answered and stood up.

He and Ivyflight passed other cats who were laying around in the sun of the warm greenleaf day. Because there were so many cats in ThunderClan, patrols were rotated among cats, but many had free time to do what they wanted. Dewstep and Ivyflight usually took that time to sit and talk together or to visit Longtail.

Ivyflight and Dewstep almost made it to the camp entrance when Dovetooth came over.

"Can I come?" she asked.

Ivyflight stared at her a while. Dewstep could suddenly feel the tension. When Dovetooth didn't say anything else, Ivyflight muttered, "Fine."

Dovetooth nodded with a slight glare at her sister and led the way out. Dewstep wisely said nothing about the encounter, just let the sisters go ahead of him.

"Can we hunt near ShadowClan?" Dewstep asked when he thought they might ready to talk.

"Of course," Dovetooth meowed when Ivyflight looked like she might object.

Dewstep nodded and then led the way. He'd been staying near the ShadowClan border when he could. He wanted to speak with his brother and he was hoping to see Darkfire in a patrol or just hunting. So far he hadn't been successful and it had been three days since Lionblaze had seen the black warrior.

When Dewstep and the others got there, they started hunting. But Dewstep noticed the sisters kept messing up the other's perfect kill. He only managed to catch a bird but the sisters weren't willing to share and insisted they'd catch their own. Dewstep could figure out what was going on between them and he wanted to tell them to stop, but he was afraid they'd turn on him. He was scared of what they might do or if they'd ask him who he preferred. Dewstep didn't want to hurt either's feelings so he said nothing at all.

While they hunted near the border, Dewstep thought someone was watching them. The feeling prickled between his shoulders and he had to lick it off a few times. The fact was he couldn't see anyone when he looked around and he couldn't smell anyone else either. Who was watching?

Dewstep kept glancing to the ShadowClan territory, hoping Darkfire would be there. Then once, while Dovetooth and Ivyflight argued over whose fault it was they'd missed the mouse, he put his paw over the border. It stayed there for a few seconds while Dewstep wondered if he should go all the way over. It was against the code and he knew it would be dangerous to be caught by ShadowClan warriors. He slowly pulled it back and looked at the tall, dark trees in ShadowClan's land.

"Darkfire," he breathed.

"Dewstep! What are you doing?" Dovetooth exclaimed hurrying over.

Dewstep was embarrassed he turned away from the border and replied, "I was looking for Darkfire."

"He's not here," Dovetooth meowed, looking fearfully at the ShadowClan side.

"I am," a low voice answered.

The three ThunderClan cats jumped and turned to face the cat that strolled out from under a bush where a cluster of mushrooms hid.

"Go back to camp," he told the sisters, twitching his ears at them but not looking to see their shocked faces.

"Dewstep," Ivyflight whispered. He could tell by their voices they were nervous. Perhaps the time Darkfire had been away, they'd forgotten how powerful he looked. Dewstep could see ShadowClan had suited his brother.

"Go back, Ivyflight," Dewstep told her. "I want to talk to my brother."

She pulled her ears back but walked away, bumping Dovetooth to get the she-cat moving.

"I'm so glad you're alive!" Dewstep meowed happily, brushing his pelt against Darkfire's. "Why did you go off like that!" he scolded.

Darkfire gave an apologetic smile. "You would have stopped me."

"I would have," Dewstep growled. "You didn't have to go."

"I did," Darkfire answered. "I just didn't work well with ThunderClan. Here, in ShadowClan, I fit. I don't have to talk a lot, I just have to follow orders, and I get to be a part of the Clan. They aren't scared of me. They don't think I'm strange."

Dewstep stared at his brother. Darkfire believed ThunderClan thought he was strange? He could make sense of the rest. He knew his brothers didn't like to talk to strangers. He hadn't known it before they got to the Clans. It had taken a while for Dewstep to remember Darkfire didn't even talk much to Hollyleaf.

"You aren't strange, Darkfire," Dewstep meowed.

Darkfire just nodded without comment.

"So you like ShadowClan," Dewstep continued, thinking about how he wanted to start his confession. "Have any of them been breaking the code?"

Darkfire suddenly got tense. He looked around and then quietly meowed, "Only a few, but don't worry, I'll straighten them out."

"So you know what you're going to do?" Dewstep asked.

"Yes," Darkfire nodded. "ShadowClan fell away from the warrior code when Sol turned them against StarClan. Now they want to keep it at any cost. I know I can use that to advantage and make them believe the other Clans are threats because they don't."

Dewstep simply stared at his brother. So Darkfire didn't mean the words he'd once said? About there being no point in restoring the code? He realized Darkfire was going though with Hollyleaf's plan. If Darkfire was, then Dewstep couldn't let him down.

"I don't know what to do," Dewstep confessed. "I haven't seen anyone breaking the code. I don't think ThunderClan does other than letting half-Clan and kittypets be members."

Darkfire looked at his brother in sympathy.

"That's exactly what you can use," Darkfire told him. "You need to let them realize it s a bad thing. That your ties aren't as strong as the other Clans ."

"But I'm one of the outsiders," Dewstep protested. "Why should they listen to me? I'm also new so they would be suspicious why I was talking about these things."

"They still don't trust you?" Darkfire asked.

"No, they do. It would just be strange if I started doing this."

"You can think of a way," Darkfire soothed. "You always know what to say."

Dewstep nodded reluctantly. He didn't think he was that capable and it just seemed wrong to deceive his Clanmates.

"I know something that will help," Darkfire meowed.

"What?"

"A ShadowClan cat is meeting with a ThunderClan cat here at the border," Darkfire meowed quietly into his brother's ear. "I think they want to be mates. First, it's against the code, second, it is distracting the ShadowClan warrior from his duties, and last, ThunderClan doesn't need more half-Clan kits."

Dewstep listened as Darkfire explained the whole thing and how it would work for both of them. He was amazed that Darkfire had found this out in the short time he'd been with ShadowClan. Darkfire might not talk much, but he was very intelligent.

"Dewstep," a meow warned them of the patrol's approach. Dewstep quickly leaned away from his brother and Darkfire stood up.

Five cats walked into Darkfire's and Dewstep's clandestine meeting. It was Sandstorm, Bumblethroat, Ledgewalker, Thornclaw, and Shadepaw. Sandstorm seemed surprised to see Darkfire there, but she growled, "Get off of our land, ShadowClan."

"I was just speaking with Dewstep," Darkfire meowed quietly.

Sandstorm seemed irritated that he'd argue with her, but she watched as he back up pass the scent markers.

"Dewstep, lets go," she ordered, sweeping him up with her as she led the patrol by. "You should know talking to a ShadowClan cat like this is against the code," she shook her head.

Dewstep stared back at Darkfire as he was led away by his Clan. "Darkfire is my brother," he protested.

"He is still a ShadowClan warrior. None can be trusted."

Dewstep thought that was wrong. Darkfire was his brother and they cared about each other. The code shouldn't matter in this case. Suddenly Dewstep realized he'd found his something more. But it was too late, Dewstep was committed. He couldn't go back now. He had to restore the code. When little Redstrike and Needlefur were revealed, the Clan would band behind Dewstep.

* * *

**Vote for what happens to Raven on my profile.**


	25. Chapter 24 Needlefur and Redstrike

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to all my reviewers, new and old:_ Brackenfurlover, Allygirl56, Silverstorm of Riverclan, May Emerald, Fluffy Lady, Warriors--Skywing, Brambleberry or Lionflight, _and _Dovekit.

_To _Allygirl56: _It's easy to forget. I think Ivytail is a better name anyway, but Ivyflight seems more like Firestar's style._

_To _Fluffy Lady: _You probably know by now I'm not changing the names, but thank you for telling me what you thought._

* * *

**Chapter 24**

Now that Dewstep knew what to look for, he could tell Redstrike was hiding something. When she wasn't doing Clan things, she'd wander off and not return until sunset. No one else noticed because there were so many cats that no one could keep track of individuals. As long as the Clan was fed and the borders patrolled, it didn't matter what certain cats were up to.

Dewstep managed to follow her once. Ivyflight and Dovetooth were both on separate patrols and he was left alone. He saw Redstrike leaving and he quickly left camp to go after her. He stayed far enough behind so she didn't smell or see him. After a while, he climbed a tree and followed her from above, walking along the branches. He was suddenly glad he wasn't scared of heights. Redstrike never knew he was above her.

The tabby with ginger spots soon stopped at the ShadowClan, ThunderClan border. She hid underneath a bush and waited. Dewstep settled above, careful not to let his claws scratch the bark too loudly. He only had to wait for a moment or so before the dark brown Needlefur showed. Redstrike leaped up and ran to him. The two new warriors rubbed fur and Dewstep could see them whispering into the others' ear.

A feeling stirred inside Dewstep. He watched them and felt a longing. He wanted a light-colored she-cat rubbing against him, promising love. He had to look away from the two cats below him. Their affection for each other was wonderful. Then as Dewstep got control of himself again, he also realized it was against the code. The love wasn't against the code, but Dewstep could feel the wrongness of it. Redstrike was placing Needlefur above her Clan. She was here with him, not ready to defend the camp if it were to be attacked. She wasn't hunting for the queens and kits. Dewstep could finally say why loving a cat from another Clan was wrong, but looking at them he didn't want to hurt them.

Then Dewstep caught movement below him. He stared into ShadowClan's territory and found he could see a dark cat hidden in the shadows. He squinted, trying to see better. Then yellow eyes looked up at him. They reflected sunlight, but the cat could still see him.

A black tail waved above the bushes and then quickly went down so the two disobeying cats wouldn't see it. Dewstep sighed. He knew it was his brother. For once he wished Darkfire was wrong and this wasn't happening. He quickly waved his tail in answer.

The two brothers watched the cats until each went back to their own territory. Darkfire was the first out of the bush, and only glanced at Needlefur as the warrior ran back to camp. Darkfire walked to the border and watched Dewstep get down from the tree.

"Well?" Darkfire asked.

"I don't want it to be real," Dewstep meowed truthfully.

Darkfire nodded, assuming his brother didn't like the code to be so blatantly broken. He didn't understand the love like Dewstep had.

"Have you made progress?" Darkfire asked.

"No," Dewstep shook his head. It had been four days since they'd last spoken and Sandstorm had taken Dewstep away. "I've been watching Redstrike. This was the first time I followed her."

"Oh," Darkfire meowed. "I've made some. The cats really don't like the code being broken. I asked once what they'd do if they found one cat who had a mate in another Clan. They said if that cat was in ShadowClan, the cat deserved to die."

Dewstep's eyes widened. How could ShadowClan be so heartless?

"It seems harsh, yes," Darkfire agreed when he saw Dewstep's nervousness. "But it's the same thing Hollyleaf would want. She'd punish a code breaker the same way. It prevents the rest from doing the same."

Dewstep realized his brother was speaking the truth. Hollyleaf would want that. He shivered. He'd never noticed how cold that sounded. He'd never met many cats and never had other friends beside his brother before he'd entered the Clan. He now realized death wasn't the answer. Even for the cats that didn't obey the warrior code. What if a cat disobeyed for a good reason? Like when Firestar and Graystripe fed RiverClan? Or Firestar stopped the battle with WindClan? It had stopped the death of cats and though Firestar had been punished, he'd done the right thing. Dewstep knew it. Killing the cats that saved lives was wrong. Dewstep could see in his mind Darkfire hitting the gray and ginger she-cat.

"I'll see you," Darkfire meowed, bumping his head against his brother. "Remember what I said about changing their minds!" Then the black warrior went back to ShadowClan not realizing his brother had been about to say something.

Dewstep stared after his brother. Why wouldn't Darkfire listen to him? He didn't dare call out in case a patrol was nearby. In that moment Dewstep had made up his mind. He wouldn't restore the code. It was fine how it was, and only StarClan needed to enforce it. They had to power to do it and they did when it suited them. He knew now that restoring the code was wrong. What Hollyleaf wanted wasn't what StarClan wanted. They wouldn't want killing.

Dewstep sighed and turned away. When he saw Darkfire again, probably at the next Gathering, he'd explain it and hope Darkfire changed his mind. He hoped Darkfire could see beyond Hollyleaf's goals and wasn't blindly devoted. For now, Dewstep would have to get Redstrike away from Needlefur and help her understand why she couldn't see the ShadowClan warrior again. If she didn't listen to him, the only option left would be to tell Firestar.

Dewstep now knew the Clan wouldn't follow him if he were to show them Redstrike's faults. They might shun Redstrike and Firestar might punish her by making her stay in camp, but they wouldn't kill her or hate the other cats that were born from unions like Needlefur's and Redstrike's. Dewstep couldn't possibly take advantage of that. He was a half-Clan cat himself. He'd be one of the first to go if they decided to purge the Clan.

Dewstep sighed. He knew he'd have to reach Darkfire soon. Maybe they'd meet again at the border. First he had to find Redstrike.

********

The she-cat was startled when he caught up to her before they got to the Clan. He walked beside Redstrike and explained what he'd seen. He tried to make her understand that it was dangerous to have a ShadowClan mate while she was in ThunderClan. He showed her she had a choice to make. Either make Needlefur officially her mate by joining ShadowClan, who could use cats, or leave Needlefur behind. The last way was to escape the punishment of StarClan. He named all the punishments he could think of that had happened to similar unions: Silverstream dying; Bluestar's Mosskit dying and how she turned against StarClan near the end; Feathertail's death; Leafpool's exile and one of her kits born blind, the other dying. He stayed with the tale that Hollyleaf was killed in the tunnel collapse.

Redstrike stared at him in shock. Worried that he'd found out about her love and scared of all the punishments that could happen. She didn't want Needlefur dying or  
their potential kits to be impaired or killed. Dewstep asked her to stop seeing Needlefur and find a cat in ThunderClan that she could love. He told her that if she didn't, he'd have to tell Firestar.

Redstrike gave a hesitant promise. Then they were close to camp. They entered the bramble bushes and then separated.

"What were you doing with Redstrike?" Dovetooth asked.

Dewstep could see she was mad. She frowned at him severely. She wanted an explanation!

"We were having a talk," Dewstep meowed.

She narrowed her eyes. "If you love her, you better tell me. I don't want to waste my time on a tom that's already picked a mate!"

Dewstep put his ears back. "I don't love her," he protested. He really didn't want her asking what he and Redstrike had been speaking about. That was to be kept secret unless Redstrike continued to see Needlefur.

"Then who do you want as a mate?" she asked. She smiled hesitantly at him, embarrassed.

He was glad when she didn't press what the conversation had been about. She didn't dare ask more in case it was something else she didn't need to know and she was wrong about. Then he realized what she was asking.

"Um, I," Dewstep hedged. He didn't want to say one way or another. Whoever he loved, Dovetooth or Ivyflight, one of them would be wounded by his confession. He didn't know if they'd ever love each other as sisters again if he chose.

Just like if he chose his Clan over Hollyleaf, Dewstep realized. If Darkfire wanted to continue restoring the Clans and Dewstep didn't, then Darkfire would never trust Dewstep again. They wouldn't be brothers anymore if they each went in different directions and chose a different path to follow. Dewstep knew something would happen soon that would test them and show which path they each would choose.

* * *

**Why must Dewstep keep changing his mind? It's starting to give me a headache with how quickly he decides to do something different!**

**What about you? Could I have done better? Spread it out?**


	26. Chapter 25 Black Claws

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_While reading, listen to either_ Across the Universe of Time_ or_ Never say Goodbye,_ both by Hayley Westenra_._ Perhaps you'll find hidden meaning......_

* * *

**Chapter 25**

Dewstep lined up with the apprentices. They each placed one paw on a line Pricklepaw had traced in the sandy hollow.

"Ready?" Lightningpaw asked.

The four other cats called an agreement.

"Then go!"

The cats ran as fast as they could go, their legs a blur and their hearts pumping. One of them had to get to the old thunderpath first. Dewstep was doing very well. He and two others seemed to be tied. The other apprentices were falling behind. Dewstep looked to his right and saw Lightningpaw and Firepaw keeping up. Lightningpaw saw Dewstep's glance. She flashed a grin at him and then sped ahead. She was faster than Dewstep expected. Evidently faster than he and Firepaw.

Lightningpaw reached the path first. She leaped into the air, shrieking her victory as the rest of the cats caught up.

"No one . . . huh, huh, ever . . . beats . . . Lightningpaw . . . huh, huh," Firepaw explained, completely out of breath.

"Then . . . she . . . was named . . . very well," Dewstep answered.

Firepaw nodded and lay on the ground. Very quickly the last two apprentices caught up. They were tired too, but they didn't seem so winded. They hadn't even tried to beat Lightningpaw. They'd simply run because everyone else had.

Cinderheart grinned at the apprentices. She and Thornclaw were waiting for them at the thunderpath.

"You win again, Lightningpaw," she announced. "You were almost as fast, Firepaw," she praised her own apprentice. "You even beat Dewstep."

Dewstep rolled his eyes. He doubted that. He didn't argue though. Instead he let the two apprentices bask in accomplishment.

"Shadepaw," Thornclaw scolded. "You didn't even try!"

"Sorry, Thornclaw," Shadepaw bowed her head.

"Well, we still have other competitions," Thornclaw conceded, not wanting to stay mad with his apprentice.

The apprentices grinned at each other. They loved the competitions. Their mentors held them every other moon to see what their apprentices were improving in. It was a sort of assessment, but it had been turned into fun. Dewstep had been asked to participate because he was similar size to the apprentices and the four young cats had wanted him to join. He was their friend after all.

It was four days until the next Gathering, and the ThunderClan apprentices wanted to brag to the young cats of other Clans.

So Cinderheart led the way to the lake where she said they had to have a swimming contest. Dewstep knew he could win this one. He gave a grin and walked with the other apprentices. They grumbled that they weren't RiverClan cats.

Suddenly Dovetooth was there. She almost bumped into Thornclaw as she ran to camp.

"What's the matter?" Cinderheart yelled to the light gray cat.

"Darkfire -- ShadowClan -- at the border!" Dovetooth yelled. "Jayfeather -- Toadheart. -- Redstrike's in trouble!" The last part was the only sentence that Dewstep understood clearly. He did know that Jayfeather and Toadheart must be with the she-cat. And if Redstrike was at the border, that meant one thing. She'd been visiting Needlefur.

Dewstep turned and ran for the border. If Darkfire was involved, something bad had to be happening. If what Darkfire said before still applied, one of the two young warriors was going to be punished.

********

Dewstep got to the area he'd seen Redstrike and Needlefur together that day more than a quarter moon ago. He had a feeling they'd be there again. He was right. What met his gaze as he halted, sides heaving, was four ShadowClan cats on their side of the border. They sat calmly staring at Darkfire and Needlefur who crouched in front of the black warrior. They were right along the border of scent markers. Redstrike stood nearby, silent and staring in fear. On the ThunderClan side, Jayfeather stood with Toadheart, herbs forgotten on the ground as Jayfeather tried to reason with Darkfire and the ShadowClan cats.

"Needlefur has broken the code," meowed the ShadowClan deputy in reply to something Jayfeather had said. "ShadowClan punishes with death. We don't care what you do with your . . . criminal, but Needlefur has broken the code by meeting with her many times. Darkfire," the she-cat meowed with a nod.

Darkfire, who'd kept his eerily blank eyes on Needlefur, raised a large paw. The claws were out. The scene was familiar. Dewstep's mind flashed back to the day he and Darkfire went to the Clans. The day they met the rouge.

"Needlefur, run!" Redstrike cried, throwing herself at Darkfire.

"Toadheart, get Redstrike!" Jayfeather yowled. His apprentice rushed forward to push Redstrike away as she tried to attack Darkfire. Toadheart attempted to pull her away as Needlefur tried to run. Darkfire just caught his back legs in his claws and pulled the dark brown tom down.

"Take your punishment like a ShadowClan cat," snarled the deputy.

"I don't want to be a ShadowClan cat anymore!" Needlefur yelled.

"Then you still die," the she-cat growled. "We don't like rouges on our territory."

Darkfire raised his paw to strike again while his other front foot pinned down the squirming, crying Needlefur.

"No!" Dewstep yelled, running for his brother. "This is wrong!" he yelled throwing himself over Needlefur's body. He looked up at Darkfire.

He really expected Darkfire to stop, but Darkfire's paw was already in momentum. He was still staring at his brother as the black claws tore into his throat.

Darkfire stumbled away, shocked. Needlefur shot out from under Dewstep, running toward Jayfeather, but everyone's eyes were on Dewstep.

The gray had his head down. His legs shook as he glanced back up. The blood was making streaks down his fur and dripping onto the ground.

"It looks like preys'," Darkfire heard him mumble. The green eyes looked into his yellow. "I'm not your prey? Am I . . . Dark . . . fi. . re . . . ?"

Darkfire could only watch helplessly as the light in Dewstep's bright eyes faded and he fell onto the forest floor.

"No," Darkfire breathed, shaking all over. "No. No! NO!"

He leaped forward and buried his head into his brother's still warm pelt.

* * *

**While you are in this state of shock.... go to my profile and vote for what happens to Raven!**

**I totally expect flamers now. You may begin.**

**  
How long will I make you wait for the next chapter? I'm going to my sister's house now... That remains to be seen.**


	27. Chapter 26 Red Scarf

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to everyone that reviewed:_ WFT, Brackenfurlover, VioletRose52, Allygirl56, Crazyreader96, flamestreak64, angerd, Warriors--Skywing, Shadedgladexjf, _and _Michaiah.

_Thanks to my new reviewer _Ripplecloud _for answering my questions._

_Thanks to another new reviewer: _Michaiah. _Oh, well, she won't. Other people like her too much. I think I liked her before she went crazy, now I'm not sure._

_To_ VioletRose52: _Thank you for pointing that mistake out. I've fixed it._

_To _Allygirl56: _Did you really sit vigil? :). Your review was sweet._

_To everyone: Your torture is over since my sister had to go to the hospital yesterday. I'm going to her house today and I don't know when I'm going to use a computer. Anyway, read on...

* * *

_

**Chapter 26**_  
_

Darkfire pulled his face from Dewstep's belly fur when he heard the snapping twigs and the brush of fur on undergrowth. He watched as the other cats came near.

"Go away!" he roared at them, ShadowClan and ThunderClan alike. "Leave us alone!"

The ShadowClan cats stared at him, going to object. The deputy wanted to attack these traitors to the code. But just then, more cats of ThunderClan showed up. The deputy waved a tail and the ShadowClan patrol walked off. They were going back to report. While that happened, Darkfire snarled at Jayfeather who kept walking closer.

Darkfire growled. What would these cats do now? What would they do with Dewstep's body? What would they do with him?

Great StarClan, he'd killed his brother. Darkfire wanted to howl to the sky. Why did Dewstep have to die? Like this? At his paws. . . .

"He's still alive," Jayfeather hissed.

Darkfire stared at Jayfeather. A-alive? A small hope blossomed inside him as Jayfeather pushed passed him.

"Toadheart," Jayfeather snapped. "Get cobwebs! Quickly!"

Toadheart complied, leaving Redstrike to cry into Needlefur's spiked and blood splattered fur. Firestar quickly went over there to ask questions, the rest of the patrol looked on the scene in stunned silence.

"Dewstep!" an agonized cry echoed through the trees.

Ivyflight rushed forward but was stopped by Darkfire. He stood in her way. She looked up into his eyes and saw her own pain reflected there. She was surprised when Darkfire looked away, giving a choked moan.

Jayfeather and Toadheart worked quickly to stop the flow of blood. Dewstep didn't even react. It seemed as if he'd already left the world to join the ranks of starry warriors. His neck soon looked like a scarf was wrapped around it. A white scarf that slowly turned red. Dewstep might be alive now, but he was quickly fading.

Finally the medicine cats were done. Jayfeather approached Firestar. The ThunderClan leader had learned what he could from Redstrike and Needlefur and he knew how this had happened.

"We can't move him safely," Jayfeather meowed. "He's going to have to stay here a few days."

Firestar looked over at the ShadowClan territory. "They might come back."

"I volunteer to make a temporary camp," Ivyflight meowed to Firestar.

Firestar nodded. "We'll leave Jayfeather and Toadheart here. More warriors will come to make sure ShadowClan doesn't start a fight. Lionblaze, you're in charge of this camp."

Lionblaze nodded.

Darkfire watched as the ginger leader walked off with a few of the cats he'd come with. The rest were staying to create the temporary camp.

The black tom curled up next to his brother, careful not to jostle him. He didn't know if Dewstep would awaken, but he prayed to StarClan that he would. He wasn't ready for his brother to leave yet. They still had so much left to do. Restoring the code wasn't part of it. Darkfire didn't care about that anymore. Doing what Hollyleaf had wanted got him to this point, his brother dying at his side. If--_when_, Dewstep recovered, Darkfire planned on taking him back to Hollyleaf's territory. They would explain together how it was no use. The code would stay as it was and if it led to the Clans' destruction, so be it. The Clans didn't matter to Darkfire anymore. Seeing Dewstep up and laughing again did.

Being forgiven would feel good too, Darkfire admitted to himself with a sigh. He gazed at his brother's still body.

Ivyflight joined them. Her sister Dovetooth seemed like she wanted to be with the them as well, but after one glance at the three cats, she turned away and got back to setting up the camp.

The warriors Firestar had promised showed up. They went off to find fresh-kill while the rest built dens from twigs and bushes. Toadheart was collecting more herbs. Jayfeather checked in on Dewstep occasionally. He tried to make Darkfire and Ivyflight eat poppy seeds, but both cats refused.

Ivyflight didn't think Darkfire slept in the coming night. Neither did she. They also didn't eat any food until Toadheart made them. They didn't dare try to feed Dewstep because they couldn't risk tearing the wound open again.

In all the time they stayed at the temporary camp, no one bothered Darkfire. They let him grieve and lay by his brother. They didn't ask questions, like why he wasn't back with ShadowClan, why he'd tried to kill Needlefur, why had he hurt Dewstep? Darkfire didn't want to explain. He was too weary to say anything.

His plan in ShadowClan had worked. He eventually got the ShadowClan cats wanting to make sure everyone upheld the code. They were strict with their own small number of cats. No one wanted to break a rule at all. It was then Darkfire let the information slip that he'd seen Needlefur with a ThunderClan cat. Blackstar had been swift in sending cats to investigate. It had only taken three days and the deputy had confirmed it. The next time Needlefur went out, Darkfire and the rest had gone after. They'd caught the two young Warriors with their heads touching lovingly. The deputy had quickly separated them, throwing Redstrike to the side. Needlefur just crouched there in fear, not even defending himself. ShadowClan's deputy then allowed Darkfire to do the killing since he'd been the first to catch them. Darkfire had obeyed. He didn't have to say a thing. No one at all knew he'd brought the ShadowClan cats to this.

No one in ThunderClan knew the whole thing had been Darkfire's fault in the first place. They simply blamed the craziness and cold-hearts of ShadowClan for the incident. Needlefur had been taken to the ThunderClan main camp so he wouldn't be threatened by ShadowClan anymore. He was viewed with sympathy and pity, but Redstrike was hissed at by the ThunderClan cats. They believed she was at fault. She shouldn't have encouraged the encounters. Redstrike lowered her head and spent time with Needlefur, waiting for Firestar to decide her punishment.

ShadowClan remained silent in the coming days. They didn't show their faces to the ThunderClan warriors, but Darkfire knew they were there. He could see them moving in the shadows, only their eyes visible. He'd been taught to know what to look for. He could do it as well. It was a talent Hollyleaf had never been able to show him.

Darkfire even saw a familiar pelt in a tree.

The she-cat looked down at the camp, evaluating it. No one saw her up there and Darkfire never gave her away. She did see him watching her, though, and she simply glared down at him. He wondered if all of ShadowClan hated him now.

Finally, three days later, Jayfeather said it might be safe to move Dewstep. The cats slowly picked up Darkfire's brother and almost seemed to crawl across the forest to camp. Eventually they got there. It was another process to get Dewstep into the medicine cat den. Still, the gray warrior didn't wake up. He didn't seem to know what was going on. But he was still alive. Darkfire was grateful for that, but he didn't know for how long. Dewstep wasn't eating or drinking. He would probably die of that instead of the neck wound.

Finally Darkfire came to a decision. He stood up one early morning, startling Ivyflight who was also a constant companion.

"Where are you going?" she whispered hoarsely.

"I have to leave," he answered quietly. "I have to find our mother. She might as well know . . . . She has to say good bye, or at least know what I've done."

"It was an accident," Ivyflight meowed.

"But I almost killed him," Darkfire coughed.

"He's still alive."

"Barely. That's why I have to get ---" he stopped from saying her name. He shook his head and quickly left the medicine cat den. The two medicine cats slept through it all. Ivyflight watched him leave. She wondered what Dewstep would think when he woke up and didn't see his brother. She laid back down, not wondering how Darkfire would get out of camp.

The black warrior left camp easily. The guard thought he was only going to make dirt and didn't protest. When Darkfire didn't return he wondered and then told Brambleclaw. The deputy informed Firestar, who started a territory wide search for him until Ivyflight told them where Darkfire was going.

Darkfire left ThunderClan territory and wandered into WindClan. He easily avoided the patrols and made it across the moorland. He was running now. He had to get to Hollyleaf's territory before Dewstep died. Hollyleaf had to say one last goodbye, and she had to hear from Darkfire that he would no longer do what she wanted. She'd have to restore the code herself if that was what she insisted upon. Darkfire was going to make his own way. Even if Dewstep wasn't beside him.

* * *

**Originally Dewstep was supposed to die, there was a scene with StarClan, but I cried too much. So he got to live!**

**To VioletRose52: You have acurate prediction skills!**


	28. Chapter 27 To the Lake

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to all my return reviewers who were glad Dewstep lived (and to those that weren't _:]_ ): _Brackenfurlover, Silverstorm of Riverclan, Shadedgladexjf, Warriors--Skywing, Allygirl56, Dovekit, _and_ VioletRose52.

_Thanks to the new reviewers as well:_ WildCroconaw, Icethroat21,_ and_ Nightshimmer.

_To _Silverstorm_: Life does that on occasion. Thanks for coming back._

_To everyone: Your wait is over. Finally the next chapter! I'm putting up three to make up for the day I missed.  
_

_

* * *

**  
**_

**Chapter 27**

Hollyleaf didn't like being back. The Clan cats stared at her. She was supposed to be dead! Even Willowshine, the RiverClan medicine cat apprentice, who'd once been Hollyleaf's friend, stared and didn't say any welcome.

Stormfur was welcomed. He was greeted by the RiverClan cats, but with wariness. Stormfur might have been a Clan member once, but there had been some bad experiences between him and RiverClan. After accepting some food, Stormfur quickly journeyed back to the Tribe.

After Raven and his cats made it up the mountain to the Tribe, Stormfur had led all of them to the lake. He had been reluctant to leave, but had agreed to come to make sure the rouges got off of the Tribe territory. RiverClan was the first Clan for Raven and the others to enter. The patrolling cats had been suspicious, but Raven only wanted to talk to the leader and so they brought them into the RiverClan camp. After Stormfur left, and Raven's cats were surrounded by warriors, Leopardstar approached.

She asked Raven what he wanted with the Clans. Hollyleaf knew Leopardstar wondered what he was doing with all these cats. It looked like an attack.

"I'm looking for my sons," Raven explained. "One's black the other's gray?"

Hollyleaf watched recognition light Leopardstar's face.

"You mean Darkfire and Dewstep!"

Raven seemed to smile. Hollyleaf spat. He'd finally learned his sons' names.

"Yes," he nodded after seeing Hollyleaf's reaction. "Those are the ones."

"Well, Dewstep is in ThunderClan and Darkfire was missing the last time we spoke," Leopardstar told him truthfully. "What did you want with them?"

Raven ignored that and asked, "When did you last speak with Dewstep?"

"The last Gathering," Leopardstar answered. Her tail twitched in annoyance. She could only be polite so much and this tortoiseshell had ignored her question.

"When is the next?"

"Tonight," Leopardstar answered. "But you can't take all your cats to the island. If you want to speak with your son, you go alone. I'll keep the rest of them here."

Hollyleaf knew the cats would be watched by all the warriors Leopardstar left behind.

Raven seemed like he would object, but he sighed and asked, "Could I bring Hollyleaf and Thorn?"

"Hollyleaf?" Leopardstar asked and stared right at the black cat. "It is you then. I heard you were dead."

Raven and Leopardstar waited for Hollyleaf to say something. She remained silent. She didn't need to explain herself.

Raven twitched an ear at her. "You have to forgive her. She's in a bad mood. She didn't want me finding our sons."

"You're Snake?" Leopardstar inquired.

Hollyleaf looked away.

"I can see Darkfire has your coloring," the RiverClan leader meowed. "And Dewstep has your eyes."

"Snake?" Raven asked, confused.

So Leopardstar told him the story the toms had brought her. Raven listened and nodded in the right places. Now he knew what was going on and how his sons truly knew nothing about him.

"I think I should go to ThunderClan," Raven meowed. "I should speak to Firestar in private instead of at a Gathering."

"My order still applies," Leopardstar told him. "Only you, your mate, and one other cat may go to ThunderClan. I'm going to have to keep the rest here until you return."

"You are protecting ThunderClan?" Raven asked.

Leopardstar frowned at him. "I protect all of the Clans. I can't let a group of rouges run through the lake."

Raven had to agree to her demands. So after his cats were settled, Raven started off with Hollyleaf, Thorn, and three RiverClan cats.

The guides seemed amused by everything. Gathering was that night, but these strangers wanted to meet with a Clan. Hollyleaf, a cat who had shocked everyone with the secret of her parents, was alive. The RiverClan cats wondered what ThunderClan would think.

Raven had finally told Leopardstar how Hollyleaf had lived through the tunnel collapse and met him in another forest. He avoided mentioning why Dewstep and Darkfire had joined a Clan. He didn't know if they'd been successful or not, but Leopardstar had nothing bad to say about them, so he figured they hadn't revealed their true natures yet. He didn't need to mention the problem if it hadn't happened yet.

Hollyleaf didn't fight the other cats as they walked along the lake. She knew she could run away, but now she wanted to see to ThunderClan. It had been so long and she wanted to see familiar faces again. She wanted to see her brothers. She could remember the last looks they gave her when she ran into the tunnels. They seemed horrified as she confessed everything she'd done. She couldn't stand their gazes or her own guilt so she'd left them.

Now she wanted to go back and she what they'd done in her absence. She was certain by now they'd told the whole tribe what she'd done. How she'd tried to killed Leafpool and had killed Ashfur. **(A/N I don't know if they did or didn't. But in this story the ThunderClan cats don't know any thing about it.)** They were probably mad that she'd told Crowfeather's and Leafpool's secret. WindClan and ThunderClan were probably the most affected and the most angered about her revealing the terrible secret. She wondered if Firestar would kick her out of the territory the moment he saw her.

While they walked, Hollyleaf imagined the ways her sons had accomplished taking over the Clans. She didn't think they'd gotten far, but she was hoping they'd laid the foundations. She was worried where Darkfire was. She told herself it had been over a moon since Leopardstar had seen the black tom, so he could be anywhere, in any Clan. She was glad Dewstep had been accepted into ThunderClan. He would finally see the way Firestar let his cats break the code.

"What are you doing?" a cat growled at them. "Bringing more rouges to ThunderClan?"

"I'm sure they'll love to invite more," laughed another.

Hollyleaf looked over. They were WindClan cats on a patrol. They walked right next to the RiverClan cats. Step for step. She didn't know how she'd missed their approach.

"It's none of your business," Mistyfoot answered. "It is between RiverClan and ThunderClan."

"You've been getting too close to ThunderClan lately," a brown and white tom answered. "I'm beginning to think there's an alliance between the largest Clans."

"Hold your tongue, Harespring," Mistyfoot meowed. "There is nothing going on."

"Then who are they?" Harespring growled, nodding to the strangers. The rest of the patrol showed their claws.

"The Gathering is tonight," Mistyfoot meowed patiently. "We should not fight."

"We won't," Harespring answered. "But if WindClan is in danger, we can't let these cats get by."

"It's between RiverClan and ThunderClan," Mistyfoot insisted, not looking at them, and making sure her cats continued to walk

Hollyleaf noticed Mistyfoot trying not to run or pick up speed, but the WindClan cats were making her nervous. There were five of them and only three RiverClan cats. Mistyfoot couldn't guarantee Raven, Thorn, or Hollyleaf would fight.

"Onestar won't be happy to hear," the tom continued.

"We won't hurt WindClan," Mistyfoot meowed, "but if you continue to threaten us, I cannot say RiverClan won't retaliate."

"Then I say that's a threat," Harespring growled. "WindClan--"

"My name is Raven," Raven interrupted. "I am looking for my sons. We know where the gray one is, but we were wondering if you'd seen Darkfire, the black one?"

Harespring seemed stumped. He looked at the tortoiseshell that had interrupted him. Then he meowed, "We don't accept rouges in our Clan."

"Well, thank you for your help," Raven meowed. Hollyleaf watched him glance to the forest. It was close. They might make it.

"Harespring, do we . . . .?" a WindClan she-cat asked.

Harespring thought, glancing at the ThunderClan territory as well, and answered, "No. Make sure you don't trespass in WindClan territory," he warned the group. Then he led the patrol off to go deeper into the WindClan moor.

Mistyfoot sighed. "Thank you. That could have gotten dangerous."

"I was warned the Clans had tensions between them," Raven answered, looking at Hollyleaf. He blinked his eyes at her and then looked forward.

Hollyleaf stared at him in surprise. She watched the sunlight glitter off of his lighter patches. For some reason she felt herself smile at him. He actually appreciated her information. And he'd remembered what she'd said even though it had been so long ago.

"ThunderClan territory," Copperpool announced as the trees' shadows fell over them. "Do we wait for a patrol?"

"It would be wise," Mistyfoot nodded. The cats sat down next to the lake.

* * *

**I don't know if Harespring lived through _Sunrise_, but I'm beginning to think nothing really happened in that book.**


	29. Chapter 28 Hollyleaf's Return

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter._

_Warning, another long chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 28**

Raven, Thorn, and Hollyleaf entered the camp. The ThunderClan cats had been prepared for arrivals. They looked at the new cats the patrol brought.

"Hollyleaf?" Lionblaze asked, standing up.

He gazed right at her. Hollyleaf could see Darkfire in him. It was so strange, but she had always felt her two sons were like her brothers. Now she knew why.

"Lionblaze," she meowed hesitantly.

She looked around at the cats surrounding her and Raven. Mistyfoot had left them after the ThunderClan patrol came. She was unprotected in the camp, but the cats didn't glare at her in hate or anger. Instead, they looked at her in shock, just as surprised as RiverClan had been that she wasn't dead like they'd thought for so many seasons.

Hollyleaf was startled when Lionblaze rubbed her face with his.

"You're alive," he meowed happily.

Wait. He was happy? Hollyleaf tensed and looked into his eyes in question. He shook his head with a brief movement that no one else would recognize. They didn't know. Lionblaze and Jayfeather hadn't told. No one knew that she'd tried to kill her own mother. No one knew she'd killed Ashfur. A weight seemed to lift off of her. She wasn't going to be cast out. She was still a ThunderClan cat.

"Hollyleaf," Firestar started. She saw him sitting on the High Ledge. "We are . . . glad you're still alive. But how? You ran into the cave when it collapsed."

"Only the entrance fell in," Hollyleaf answered. "I was farther back. I made it out through another entrance."

"Why didn't you come back?" the leader asked. He seemed puzzled.

Hollyleaf looked down. She couldn't say. She couldn't confess everything she'd done. She could feel all their eyes boring into her.

"Hollyleaf came to a forest," Raven meowed distracting them. "I met her there. We had kits. Now we're looking for them. Dewstep?" He looked among the Clan to see if he could recognize the cat he'd only see as a kit.

The Clan cats stared in stunned silence and Hollyleaf watched Lionblaze's eyes dart to the medicine cat's den.

Hollyleaf quickly turned her head there and looked back at her brother. He stared at her with sadness in his eyes. Hollyleaf turned and ran to the den.

Thorn started to go after her with a look at Raven, but the tortoiseshell was following his mate. Thorn sat back down and stared at the ThunderClan cats. They didn't seemed to know what to say. First a cat had come back from the dead, and now that cat had kits that were members of ThunderClan.

"Hollyleaf is Dewstep's mother?" Firestar asked. He seemed the most shocked and Thorn could see some disappointment in his eyes.

"I only found out a half-moon ago Raven even had a mate," Thorn shrugged.

Up in the medicine cat's den, Hollyleaf was confronted by Jayfeather.

"What are you doing here?" he challenged.

"I need to see Dewstep," she meowed, trying to see around him. She knew he was aware it was his sister he stood in front of.

"He's your son?" Jayfeather's blind eyes widened. She didn't know how he knew that since he hadn't been down in the quarry and couldn't have heard. She didn't care at this moment how he knew it. She dodged around him and plunged deeper into the den. There she saw a black and white tom and a light brown tabby next to a nest. A small gray cat lay in it. She ignored the other two cats and licked Dewstep's head.

"Dewstep?" she asked. He didn't move. She looked over at the cats who'd been with him.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"H-hollyleaf," the black and white tom breathed, shocked. The tabby seemed to flinch. Hollyleaf looked over, suddenly thinking it was Leafpool. No, it wasn't. It was a younger cat Hollyleaf didn't recognize.

"Darkfire clawed his brother's neck," Jayfeather answered, having followed her. Raven was at his side.

"Darkfire?" Hollyleaf asked. "No," she shook her head. "Darkfire wouldn't do this to his own brother."

"It was an accident," the tabby meowed quietly. "Darkfire was going to kill Needlefur, but Dewstep got in the way to stop him."

Hollyleaf looked over at Dewstep. She could see the cobwebs on his throat. She didn't recognize this tabby or the name she'd said. Things had changed in ThunderClan.

"Oh, Dewstep," she murmured and licked his head again. Why did he have to get in the way of a killing blow?

"Will he live?" she asked Jayfeather.

"It is still doubtful," Jayfeather answered. "He's started to drink, but he needs to eat. He also hasn't woken up once."

"Where's Darkfire?" Raven asked.

"He left yesterday morning," the tabby answered. "He said he was going to look for his mother."

"I am their mother," Hollyleaf meowed. So Darkfire had left? How would she ever find him now?

The tabby seemed surprised again. Then she leaned forward and nuzzled Dewstep's head. "Good," she meowed.

Hollyleaf wondered why she'd say that.

"Leave Toadheart so he can try to feed Dewstep," Jayfeather meowed, nudging Hollyleaf from the den. Raven helped him. Hollyleaf glanced back at her son. She didn't want him to die.

Firestar was waiting for her when she left.

"Come to my den," he told Raven and Hollyleaf. Squirrelflight, Brambleclaw, Graystripe, Sandstorm, and Lionblaze waited inside. It was getting crowded in there.

"Now," Firestar meowed, "tell us everything."

He looked at Raven and at Hollyleaf.

_**-L-**_

It was late when Firestar finally went to the Gathering. He brought many cats with him, but left just as many to guard the camp. It wasn't as if he didn't trust Hollyleaf. It was because of the strange cats and the way WindClan had acted that day. The ThunderClan leader didn't want to take chances.

Hollyleaf had been surprised when Raven said nothing about her sons and her plan she'd had for them. Or at least the way he saw it, which was very accurate. Instead, Raven spoke about what he and his band of rouges were doing and how he'd met Hollyleaf and that he'd come to the Clans to see his sons.

Firestar seemed disappointed about something during the whole tale. It finally came up when Graystripe asked, "Have you seen a tabby that goes by the name of Leafpool?"

Raven shook his head. "No, but I recognize the name." He sat quietly for a while, then he nodded. "That was your mother wasn't it?" he looked at Hollyleaf. She nodded looking at Firestar in question.

"We exiled her after the tunnels collapsed," Firestar told Hollyleaf. "After she taught Jayfeather everything he needed to know."

Hollyleaf's eyes widened. Firestar had actually punished his daughter? Something twisted inside her. It was a strange feeling that made her look at Firestar oddly. He'd finally upheld the code for once.

"I'm sorry," Firestar meowed. "I realize it is a shock and you probably wanted to see her, but she isn't here. We haven't seen her since she was exiled." He didn't realize that she finally admired him again like she had when she was a kit.

"We thought Dewstep and Darkfire were her sons," Graystripe admitted.

Hollyleaf asked them why, and they told her. She could understand how they'd been mistaken. She realized her sons had been given a cover for where they came from. She didn't know why they hadn't taken advantage of it.

Now it was almost the morning after the Gathering. Firestar would be coming back now. Hollyleaf sat outside the entrance of the medicine cat's den. She thought it was strange that her brother was now the one in charge. It was odd not to think of Leafpool when Hollyleaf came up here.

"He might get better," Jayfeather meowed from Hollyleaf's side. "The wound is healing."

Hollyleaf stayed silent. She watched the sky above the quarry lighten with pink from the rising sun.

"You should forgive Darkfire," Jayfather continued, somehow understanding her deepest feelings. The ones she tried to suppress. "It was an accident."

"He almost killed his brother," Hollyleaf meowed. "And he ran away."

"To find you," Jayfeather snapped, not liking her depressed mood. "He wanted to find you to tell you what had happened. He wanted to tell you himself that he almost killed his brother. He was heart broken when he realized what he'd done. I'd say he was taking responsibility for his actions. Unlike his mother."

Hollyleaf turned to face Jayfeather. She was shocked, unable to say anything.

"You ran away," Jayfeather continued. "You let us believe you were dead instead of coming back. Everyone thought you were a hero, like they did Ashfur. You'd revealed a secret that almost ruined ThunderClan, but you still were thought of as the one who did right. No one likes to talk bad about the dead."

He paused to breath then told his sister, "I didn't know if you were dead or not, Hollyleaf. I'd talk to StarClan all the time, and I'd never see you there. I didn't want to believe you went to the Dark Forest, but what else could I think? You killed a cat and tried to give Leafpool death berries. You broke the code you were so in love with. When you died, the Dark Forest is where you should have gone, but no one in StarClan would talk to me about it."

Hollyleaf shrank away with every word. She didn't want to hear this. She'd been right, she knew she'd been, but now that self righteousness was being broken by her brother. Had she really broken the code?

"No one wants to question why you're back," Jayfeather was meowing quietly. "But they should. I want to know why you sent your son's here in your place. I want to know why Darkfire was willing to kill Needlefur. I don't think you've come back to join us. I still don't know what to think, but I'll figure it out. Raven believes you aren't to be trusted and he'll tell ThunderClan why very soon."

Hollyleaf shuddered. Had Raven spoken to Jayfeather? What had they said that made Jayfeather seem to know everything?

"I'm helping Dewstep even though he is your son and for a while seemed to have your attitude about the code. He's a good tom, and Ivyflight loves him. Besides, he saved Needlefur. I think he isn't like you anymore, Hollyleaf. He isn't so ridged about the code. He is truly a ThunderClan cat."

Hollyleaf shivered again, but for a different reason. Not so ridged in the code? That was what she'd trained her sons to cling to and always uphold, but Jayfeather believed in what he was saying, that Dewstep didn't think it was so important. Hollyleaf had to believe as well. Her son wasn't her son anymore. He'd moved on. She had to accept he would never follow her again. She'd already heard the story of Redstrike and Needlefur from Brambleclaw and at first she admired Darkfire taking the initiative for punishing the traitors, but then she'd remembered he'd hit his brother instead. Her admiration turned to disgust. Now Jayfeather was telling her to forgive her firstborn son and know that Dewstep was a code breaker as well. She didn't know if she could.

She looked back to the sky, trying to overcome her uncertain emotions. Some stars were still out, but the birds were singing and other animals were waking. Hollyleaf watched a large black bird fly up. It almost seemed to reach a star. Hollyleaf heard Jayfeather gasp beside her. She turned to watch him grow tense, his blank eyes moving as if following the raven's progress. She turned back to look at the bird. She saw other large, black birds swarm around the first as it flew off.

"Kaa, kaa," the flock crowed. They were loud and woke up a few cats in the quarry. They came out to see what the noise was about, but quickly went back to sleep when they saw it was nothing to worry about. The bramble bushes began to twitch with the cats returning from the Gathering.

Hollyleaf turned back to Jayfeather. She saw his head bowed. He seemed to be talking to himself.

"What's the matter?" she asked, their conversation forgotten.

"It was a sign from StarClan," he told her. "I have to think. Get some sleep."

He walked off, leaving Hollyleaf mystified and pondering his words.

* * *

**Ohh, will Hollyleaf change? What is the sign from StarClan?**


	30. Chapter 29 StarClan?

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter

* * *

_

**Chapter 29**_  
_

Later that day, when it was almost night, Jayfeather spoke to Raven. The tortoiseshell had been speaking to the ThunderClan cats since he got there and hadn't been bored at all. The ThunderClan cats actually were interested by him as he was of them. He didn't act like a usual rouge. He wasn't impolite or hostile. Hollyleaf looked at him in admiration. Then she froze, and turned away from him. Hollyleaf shook out her fur, trying to convince herself that she didn't love Raven anymore. They hadn't been mates for a long time.

Hollyleaf watched Jayfeather go to Raven. She sat up near the medicine cat's den, waiting for Dewstep to get better but too nervous to be with him. She knew her son was safe with Toadheart and that little tabby known as Ivyflight. By now Hollyleaf knew Ivyflight loved Dewstep. She didn't know how she felt about that. She didn't want to think her son was old enough to have a mate. So far she knew Ivyflight was a nice she-cat and had followed the code, but Hollyleaf had always thought of her sons standing alone without another cat with them as they took control of the Clans. There was nothing in the code that said you had to have mates. Which might have been why she had never been interested in one for a long time. She still wasn't sure why she'd chosen Raven in the first place. Or why she still thought of him as hers.

Hollyleaf was aware Ivyflight had a sister. She'd also heard from Toadheart that Dovetooth had an affection for Dewstep, but after hearing Hollyleaf was Dewstep's mother she'd just been disgusted. She considered Dewstep a relative now. Hollyleaf didn't think it was odd Whitewing had had kits, she'd been pregnant before Hollyleaf had left, it was just hard to imagine those kits grown up. She'd been away from ThunderClan for too long to fit in again. Her dreams of becoming a Clan cat again had been ruined by time.

"Toadheart," Jayfeather meowed into the den after joining his sister near the ledge.

"Yes, Jayfeather?" the black and white tom asked.

"You're going with Raven up to the Moonpool."

Toadheart's jaw dropped.

"You'll catch a fly in that," Jayfeather meowed. "Go on."

Toadheart nodded and then walked down to the quarry floor where Raven seemed mystified after his talk with Jayfeather.

"Why is he going to the Moonpool?" Hollyleaf asked, worry in her heart. Was her tom leaving her again?

"I had a message from StarClan this morning. They want to see him," Jayfeather meowed.

Hollyleaf's mind flashed to the raven and the star she'd seen that morning. Jayfeather had been able to see that? Was it actually a sign from StarClan?

"What do they want with him?" Hollyleaf questioned.

Jayfeather seemed like he was debating whether to answer or not. Finally he meowed, "They want to make him a leader of another Clan."

"There are four Clans," Hollyleaf protested. "He can't be a leader."

Jayfeather seemed sad. "There was not always just four. You could ask Firestar about it. It was one of the things StarClan has kept hidden from the Clans. One of the things Sol wanted to tell us."

Hollyleaf stared at him, unable to say a thing. Not four Clans? What had happened? Could Raven actually become Ravenstar and lead a Clan? Where would they live?

"I'm going to visit Dewstep now," Jayfeather meowed. "Don't run away."

Hollyleaf narrowed her eyes. She didn't like what he was implying.

********

Later that night, Hollyleaf entered the den. She went to visit Dewstep. She walked to the back of the cave. Ivyflight stood to the side watching. Hollyleaf thought it was strange Ivyflight could stay in the medicine cat den and not do her warrior duties. Hollyleaf stared at her and then at Dewstep. Jayfeather was laying down beside him. Their gray heads were touching.

"What's going on?" Hollyleaf asked. Jayfeather's eyes were closed and he didn't respond.

"Jayfeather said he might be able to wake up Dewstep," Ivyflight meowed.

Hollyleaf could hear the hope and also the nervousness. She realized she was nervous too. What would Dewstep say when he woke up? Would he actually be able to live?

The she-cats stayed that way for minutes. The moon passed overhead. Hollyleaf was certain Raven was at the Moonpool. He was probably receiving his nine lives by now. She still didn't understand how StarClan could make another Clan. She didn't think Raven even believed in the warrior ancestors. When she'd spoken about them, he'd just seemed amused. She wondered what he thought now that he was meeting them.

Finally Hollyleaf's brother stirred. His eyes tensed and then they opened. Hollyleaf was surprised when their blank gaze looked right at her. She could almost feel he knew her deepest secrets in that moment.

"He was with StarClan," Jayfeather meowed after a long moment.

"He was dead?" Ivyflight cried.

"No," Jayfeather shook his head. "He wasn't, but he was on the brink. It was his choice whether he wanted to stay in ThunderClan or join StarClan. I spoke with him and convinced him to come back."

Hollyleaf was in awe of her brother. No wonder he was one of the three in the prophesy.

"Will he get better now?" she asked.

Jayfeather nodded. "He'll wake up soon. He will live, but he'll have a horrible scar."

"I don't care about that," Ivyflight announced. "I just want him to live."

"I believe everyone else will as well," Jayfeather meowed with amusement.

He stood up and stretched, letting Ivyflight have her spot back. The tabby licked her soon-to-be mate's head. Hollyleaf smiled at them. She could now accept Ivyflight to be Dewstep's. The she-cat really cared about the gray. Now Hollyleaf wondered if Dewstep wanted loyal Ivyflight as a mate. She hoped he hadn't been fond of Dovetooth because that she-cat wasn't interested anymore.

"Come," Jayfeather told Hollyleaf, waving his tail at her.

Hollyleaf turned around and followed him.

"Raven was there," the medicine cat meowed. "He and Dewstep spoke."

Hollyleaf's eyes widened. What had they said to each other?

"Raven is proud of his son," Jayfeather continued. "He actually helped convince Dewstep to come back."

Hollyleaf felt gratitude fill her. She was glad Raven had helped his son. She was glad to get a chance to speak with Dewstep again.

"Is--" Hollyleaf started to mew, but Jayfeather put his tail in front of her mouth.

"Hush," he told her. "You don't need to know until Raven comes back."

Hollyleaf wondered how Jayfeather knew she would ask if Raven was receiving his nine lives. She left the medicine cat den and made her way to the fallen tree to be with Thorn. She hadn't slept in the warriors' den since she came. For some reason she hadn't been comfortable with all those cats in there. She hadn't realized the Clan had grown so big.

Thorn didn't wake up as she joined him. She knew he was worried about where his leader had gone, but he would trust ThunderClan to keep Raven safe. She was glad her mate had a cat to rely on. She wondered if she'd ever again trust another cat. So far many had let her down. She sighed, but fell asleep. She wanted to be there with Dewstep when he woke up.


	31. Chapter 30 Awaken

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my reviewers who continue to have an interest in the story: _Brackenfurlover, Nightshimmer, Icethroat21, Allygirl56, Dovekit, Warriors--Skywing,_ and_ VioletRose52.

_Thanks to new reviewers as well: _Stormtail12 _and_ Juniperwing.

_To_ Warriors--Skywing: _I'm glad you actually have time to read it. This story is taking up most of my time so I have to be quick if I want to finish it. I'm glad I have inspiration for it and loyal readers, like yourself._

_To _VioletRose52:_ Darkfire will make an appearance in the story again._

* * *

**Chapter 30**

Dewstep opened his eyes. He could only see a blur. He blinked his eyes and moaned. He felt so sore and his neck seemed to have something pressing on it. He swallowed and felt pain.

"Dewstep?" A quiet gasp came from beside him. The warmth quickly left his side as a light-colored she-cat stood in front of him to lick his face.

"You're awake!" Ivyflight cried and licked his face again. "Toadheart!"

By now Dewstep could see better. He watched the black and white apprentice enter the den. He smiled at Dewstep and then looked him over.

"How do you feel?" Toadheart asked after the exam.

"I. . .hurt," Dewstep meowed. His voice sounded strange to his ears. He swallowed again and he felt the constriction on his throat.

"Are you thirsty? Hungry?" Ivyflight meowed anxiously.

Dewstep nodded. He didn't want to hear his strange voice again.

"I'll get some moss," Toadheart meowed and when back to the front of the medicine cat den. He quickly came back and dipped it in the pool that had always been  
used. He placed it next to Dewstep's nose.

"Don't move quickly," Toadheart warned. "We don't want you tearing open your wound."

Dewstep looked at him in question as Ivyflight pushed the moss closer.

"Darkfire almost ripped your throat out," Toadheart meowed. He didn't think Dewstep remembered what had happened.

"Where is . . . Dark . . fire?" Dewstep asked. He realized he couldn't make sentences flow. It hurt too much to move or talk a lot.

"He left to look for your mother," Ivyflight shook her head. "But Hollyleaf came here."

Dewstep's eyes widened. They knew Hollyleaf? Then his memory came back. Of course Hollyleaf was here. Raven had said so. Dewstep thought some more and he finally remembered StarClan.

He'd been with them for a few days and they'd spoken with each other. Dewstep had met the great cats that Hollyleaf had spoken to him in stories. Dewstep had been in awe, but he'd also felt shame. He confessed everything to them: why he and Darkfire were with the Clans and that they'd been trained to restore the code because the Clan cat's weren't following it very well. The cats of StarClan forgave him for planning to take over the Clans after he said he felt it didn't need to be changed at all. StarClan told him they knew he was a good cat deep down. They let him know he'd saved Needlefur's life. They also told him many other things before Raven appeared.

Raven and Dewstep met, and at first Dewstep didn't know who he was until Bluestar told him. The two toms had then been left alone for a while. While they spoke, the two became friends and Raven explained that Hollyleaf was in ThunderClan again. Dewstep tried to warn Raven about what Hollyleaf was doing, but Raven had waved his tail and said he knew. Thorn was keeping an eye on her. Then Jayfeather showed up and told Dewstep he needed to come back to ThunderClan and live again. He told Dewstep that Ivyflight was waiting for him.

Dewstep now looked up at the tabby. She was smiling down at him. Dewstep remembered what StarClan had told him about her. About the kits they'd have. And he remembered all the things they'd done together while Dewstep was in ThunderClan. He felt warm when she was with him. He wasn't disapointed at all that it her and not her sister.

"I love . . you . . . Ivy . . flight," he meowed. The she-cat grinned even more and then nuzzled his head while Toadheart left to get fresh-kill.

********

Hollyleaf was waiting by the entrance when Raven returned. Jayfeather sat with her. They both wanted to know what StarClan had said.

The tortoiseshell came back with Toadheart at his side. Jayfeather sent Toadheart back to the medicine cat den to keep a watch on Dewstep. The gray tom hadn't woken up when Hollyleaf and Jayfeather checked on him that morning.

Hollyleaf stared at the tom, uncertain of what to say. According to Jayfeather, Raven had spoken to Dewstep. She wondered what he thought of her son. She also wondered what Dewstep had said to Raven. She wished she could guarantee Dewstep hadn't told Raven what he was doing with the Clans. Before, it hadn't mattered if Raven knew anything at all, but now it worried her.

"Ravenstar?" Jayfeather asked after Toadheart left them.

The tortoiseshell shook his head. "I'm still Raven."

"StarClan was supposed to give you nine lives," Jayfeather meowed.

"I know," Raven shrugged. "They offered, and I refused. No leader should have more lives then the cats with them. My cats would never understand."

"So why did they want to make Raven a Clan leader?" Hollyleaf asked, still wanting to know.

"They saw my willingness to follow the code," Raven answered quietly. "In the time I've been in ThunderClan, I have seen how it's helped cats. I can see how it's kept them together. StarClan knows that I've brought rouges together and that we've followed the code to an extent. They wanted to make it official. I know I wouldn't have followed it all the way if I hadn't seen StarClan."

Now Hollyleaf could see the wonder in his eyes. Now that he'd met the warrior ancestors, he had more respect for the code and how it had been established.

"But I refused to be a leader and become Ravenstar," Raven confessed. "I don't want to force my cats to follow this code. They are independent. I don't want to take that from them. They would never understand what I was doing because they don't believe or know StarClan. I could never explain." Raven breath in deep as he tried to remember all of his feelings he'd experienced. "StarClan couldn't even promise to come with me back to the forest. There would be no point in making a Clan if our ancestors weren't there to guide it."

Hollyleaf stared at him. He'd really refused StarClan. He'd given up nine lives and a chance to lead a Clan to greatness. She couldn't really understand him. Being a leader was all Hollyleaf had wanted for a while. She knew she would have been able to keep the code and make her cats do the same. However, Hollyleaf said nothing. It had been his choice, and she hadn't been happy about another Clan being created anyway.

"Did Dewstep wake up yet?" Raven asked in the silence. Jayfeather didn't answer and Hollyleaf noticed he seemed to be listening to something she couldn't hear. She looked away from her brother and answered, "No. We looked in on him this morning. Did you really speak to him in StarClan?"

He nodded and Hollyleaf watched a soft smile light up his face. She suddenly wanted to smile with him. It reminded her of the first time he'd seen the kits. Then she remembered he'd left after that. She frowned as he answered.

"I did. Even if you raised him one way, he turned out better than I could hope for. I wish Darkfire had been the same."

Darkfire. Hollyleaf's mind returned to her firstborn. Where was he? He was probably going back to the forest he'd been raised in, looking for her. She wondered what he'd do when he found no one. Her paws itched to be with him. He was probably feeling miserable. She wanted to comfort him and tell him he'd down everything she could have asked for.

"Jayfeather," a creamy she-cat mewed anxiously as she ran over. Hollyleaf recognized Daisy. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. "Brightheart is kiting!"

Jayfeather snapped out of whatever he'd been doing and nodded. He ran up to the medicine cat's den, leaving Hollyleaf and Raven staring after him. The gray tom almost bumped into Toadheart as the black and white was leaving.

Toadheart meowed an answer to something Jayfeather said. The gray tom halted and looked back down at Hollyleaf. He nodded to Toadheart. Jayfeather disappeared as his apprentice joined Hollyleaf.

"Dewstep is awake," he reported. "Bring some fresh-kill with you, and make sure Ivyflight chews it thoroughly before she lets Dewstep have any."  
Hollyleaf nodded as Toadheart ran to catch up to Jayfeather.

"Come on," she meowed and ran to the fresh-kill pile to find a mouse for her son. Raven trotted beside her. Hollyleaf finally felt happy. Dewstep was going to live.

* * *

**There was a majority of voters who didn't want Raven to become Ravenstar. I've done what you wanted, there is no sixth Clan (counting SkyClan as five).**

**Now you all know Ivyflight and Dewstep are together! Sorry Dovekit, I won't be using those names for the kits, but they are good names.**

**Go to my profile to see the descriptions of the cats I made for _Hollyleaf's Challenge_: the clan cats and Raven's cats.**

**Hey, can some one answer what these plushies are that authors give out? (If you do, then you can get a Darkfire _and_ Dewstep plushie!)**


	32. Chapter 31 Ivyflight

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Already into the thirties. Wow. I really don't know how long this is going to be in the end, so keep reading and reviewing._

_Vote for Dovetooth's power on my profile._

* * *

**Chapter 31**

Dewstep and Ivyflight curled up together. Hollyleaf and Raven had already been by and left. Dewstep's parents had been happy to see him alive and they spoke kindly with him. Dewstep could even see their tails twining when they weren't aware of it, but Hollyleaf would always pull away after awhile as if shocked she'd done so.

After Dewstep was finished eating, Hollyleaf and Raven finally left so Raven could get some sleep. Dewstep knew Raven had gone to StarClan to become a leader and was surprised when Raven said he was still a normal cat. But Dewstep felt proud of Raven. He was willing to do anything for his cats, even give up nine lives.

Now Ivyflight and Dewstep were alone in the medicine cat den. Apparently Brightheart was having her kits. Dewstep would have thought there was a battle going on outside if he hadn't known. There was enough noise out there.

"Do you like Dovetooth more than you like me?" Ivyflight suddenly mewed.

Dewstep looked over at her, trying not to move his head much.

"Why you ask?"

He winced. He didn't like that, but at least it made since and he didn't have to pause from the pain. He hoped when he got better he wouldn't sound like a mousebrain anymore.

"She-" Ivyflight didn't seem to know what to say. Finally she blurted, "Dovetooth wanted you as a mate and that's why she spent time with you and tried to be with you when I was. I was just wondering if you liked her more because she was, well, prettier."

"Dove . .tooth is . . . lovely," Dewstep told her nicely, "But in . .tense. You are . . . easier . . . to get . . . along with."

Dewstep didn't have to be careful of what he said with Ivyflight. He'd noticed he had to when he and Dovetooth had been alone with each other. She would always wonder if he was interested in other she-cats when he complimented them. She was worried that he wasn't interested in her and that had bothered him. He hoped Ivyflight would still get along with her sister after Dovetooth knew they were mates. He had a feeling the light gray already knew. Why else hadn't she been in the medicine cat den with him after he woke up? Ivyflight had been there, not Dovetooth.

"Will you . . . explain?" he asked Ivyflight when she smiled at his words.

She nodded sadly. "I'll tell Dovetooth. I think maybe she was hoping you liked her, but she never came to check on you. I haven't spoken to her in a while. Maybe I'll go out now and ask." The tabby seemed to think about it. "You won't mind?" she asked.

Dewstep shook his head. He wanted to get it over with now. Maybe Dovetooth wouldn't be mad at him while he was still injured. This might be his only safe chance.

Ivyflight left, taking the warmth with her. Dewstep shivered and curled closer. The water that helped the medicine cats care for patients made the cave a bit chilly and he was still weak.

Dewstep must have fallen asleep for awhile because when he woke up, Toadheart and Jayfeather were speaking near the entrance.

"StarClan warned me that Sol was coming back," Toadheart meowed quietly.

"It took him long enough," Jayfeather snorted. "But I don't know why. He probably knows by now he's crowfood if any Clan cat catches him."

"Bluestar told me that there was a cat who would follow him. That cat wants to gain control of the Clans. Apparently the cat contacted him before he ran away from ThunderClan."

Jayfeather was silent. Dewstep knew this wasn't good news. Hollyleaf had spoken of Sol before. She'd told him and Darkfire that Sol had promised to teach her and her brothers about their powers but had not. Then Sol had turned ShadowClan from StarClan but she and Jayfeather and Lionblaze had convinced Blackstar to believe in the starry ancestors again. Sol had disappeared for a time until ThunderClan had gone to find him. They'd brought him back but he'd escaped and the other Clans had demanded the tom's death. The brown and white tabby hadn't been seen since. Dewstep did wonder why he'd want to come back. It would be dangerous, probably as dangerous as it would have been for Hollyleaf if ThunderClan knew the things she'd done. They still thought Ashfur had been killed by a WindClan cat.** ( A/N after discovering Sol didn't do it, they had to blame someone)**

"Check on Dewstep," Jayfeather meowed. "I have to think about this."

Toadheart came over to Dewstep and looked down at him.

"You are supposed to be asleep," the apprentice meowed. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

Dewstep blinked innocently up at him. The tom smiled and asked if he was okay. Dewstep nodded and Toadheart left.

Ivyflight soon came back.

"Brightheart had one kit," she reported. "A little tabby she-cat with a gray nose and white paws. They decided to call her Brindlekit."

Dewstep gave a small smile to acknowledge that and then he waited for what Dovetooth had said. Ivyflight could tell what he wanted and she sighed.

"I don't know how to put it," she meowed, "but Dovetooth has no interest what-so-ever in you anymore. She doesn't like that you're related."

Dewstep narrowed his eyes. They weren't that closely related that it would matter.

"I don't care," Ivyflight promised. "Our only connection is through Firestar and that is far enough back."

Dewstep gave a small nod and licked her head when she lowered it. She smiled back at him and then curled up next to him so they could sleep again.

_**-L-**_

"What do you think would make good names for kits?" Ivyflight asked the next day.

Dewstep wished he could talk better, but it was still painful. He would mention all the great names he and Darkfire had come up with. He attempted that now.

"Rising . . . falling . . . splash . . . cherry . . . aspen," Dewstep meowed and then immediately needed water. He sipped from the ball of moss kept by him.

"You thought about it," Ivyflight meowed in surprised.

Dewstep nodded as much as he could. "Darkfire . . . and me."

"That's sweet," she purred.

Dewstep had to smile. That had been another name.

"Are you hungry?" Ivyflight asked after she'd thought about those names.

"Yes."

So she got up to get something. She passed Toadheart on the way out.

"You might not want to go out there," he hissed a warning.

"Why not?" she asked quietly, glancing at the entrance as she stopped.

"Raven is leaving and he wants to take Hollyleaf with him. She doesn't want to go, but Redstrike and Needlefur do."

Ivyflight stared at him.

"Firestar doesn't know what to do," Toadheart meowed. She could see that didn't sit well with the tom. "And Raven just said something that shocked him."

"What?" Ivyflight demanded.

Toadheart took a breath and meowed . . . .


	33. Chapter 32 Trusting

_Disclamer: Warrior by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my reviewers and how they hated the cliffhanger: _Brackenfurlover, Nightshimmer, Shadedgladexjf, Allygirl65, May Emerald, xX-PeaceLoveWar-Xx, Icethroat21, Dovekit, Silverstorm of RiverClan, and VioletRose52.

_Thanks to a new reviewer: _RoccuScarletSwirl

_To_ Nightshimmer_: I like your definition of a cliffhanger. That was fun to read._

_To _May Emerald_: an aspen is a tall silver/white tree. You also have good kit names. I hope you and Mintkit go far._

_And to everyone else: According to _xX-PeaceLoveWar-Xx _plushies are just given to reviewers by authors so they can feel special. I have seen people have the name of a plushie and who it was given by on their profiles. So that is what you can do too. So _xX-PeaceLoveWar-Xx _and _Icethroat21_ can have both a Darkfire and a Dewstep plushie to show off._

* * *

**Chapter 32**

It was the next day, after Firestar named Sorreltail and Brackenfur's kits apprentices, that Raven declared he was leaving. Hollyleaf had been sitting on the fallen tree with Thorn, watching the cats welcome the two apprentices. The leaves above the quarry were changing in the leaf-fall air.

After the congratulations died down, Raven stood up and meowed, "Firestar, I am grateful that you let us come into your Clan and let us see Dewstep. Now that he is recovering, it is time that we leave. My cats don't need to be a burden in RiverClan any longer."

"Thank you for coming," Firestar answered. "I know Dewstep is feeling better because you were here."

Hollyleaf knew Firestar had visited her son the other day after Brindlekit was born. Hollyleaf didn't know what they said, but she knew her son couldn't talk a lot because he had to be careful not to reopen the wound and because he was in pain. Poppy seeds could only do so much.

Raven nodded and gave a smile to the ThunderClan leader. The tortoiseshell tom waved a tail to Hollyleaf and Thorn as he made his way to the camp entrance. Thorn got off of the tree and started after, but Hollyleaf stayed where she was. She was finally home again and she wasn't leaving Dewstep. She'd just been reunited with him.

"Hollyleaf, come on," Raven meowed when he noticed she wasn't following.

"I'm staying, Raven," she shook her head.

She watched him narrow his eyes. He stopped walking to face her.

"You don't belong here," he told her.

Hollyleaf twitched an ear. "Of course I do. I was born a ThunderClan cat. I only left for a little while." She did wonder how she'd be able to go back to sleeping with all the warriors again. While she d been with Raven and his cats, only her guards had stayed by her side in the night.

She watched Raven's eyes widen and then one of his ears pointed at Firestar. She could tell he didn't like what he was hearing.  
"We'll come," a voice called out before Raven could say more.

It was Redstrike, Needlefur at her side. They were ready to go with Raven.

Firestar stared at them and then at Hollyleaf.

"Raven," Firestar meowed, "it is Hollyleaf's choice to stay. I do like her being back again." He smiled at her. Now he turned to the two young warriors. "Why do you want to go?"

Redstrike seemed to struggle for words. Finally Needlefur meowed, "The Clan does not need cats like us here. No one trusts us and we are a burden."

Hollyleaf knew he was talking about how he had to stay in camp to stay safe from ShadowClan. Apparently at the Gathering they had demanded his return. Of course Firestar had refused, saying that they had tried to kill him.

"Cats who've had mates in different Clans have always been shunned for a while," Firestar tried to sooth, glancing at Graystripe and to Jayfeather and Lionblaze. "Eventually ThunderClan will grow used to you again. ShadowClan will also give up. They are simply being eccentric right now. When they calm down, it will be safe to give you Clan duties."

"We can't wait that long," Redstrike mewed quietly. Hollyleaf wondered if she was having Needlefur's kits.

"Hollyleaf can't stay," Raven interrupted. "She already has a territory and is a member of my . . . Clan." She could see he was uneasy with that word, but what else could he call the cats that followed him? A Tribe? A Clowder? A Pride?

"I am not a member. I was a prisoner," she hissed. She was desperate to stay. She wondered if she could get ThunderClan to turn against Raven. While seeing him leave made her sad, it might be the only way to stay. Unless she could get him to stay with her! "But you could be a member of ThunderClan. Right?"

She looked at Firestar. He stared between them. She could tell he couldn't make up his mind. She sighed. Why did he have to become mousebrained at the wrong moments?

"But we have to leave," Redstrike was whispering.

"Holly," Raven meowed. "I don't trust leaving you here. You are my mate. I might have left you for a while, but I still thought of you and our kits. I only left because you were obsessed with your code and I couldn't live that way at the time. You have to come back with me."

Hollyleaf heart pounded. Did he just say he loved her? She thought about it. No, he hadn't, but he said he thought about her and that they were still mates. She wanted to touch him but she couldn't. She had to stay with the Clan. She had to do what her sons couldn't.

"I'm staying Raven. My life is here. My son is here."

Raven's eyes looked to the medicine cat's den. He could see Toadheart's dark head in there. Jayfeather was in the crowd of cats, next to the High Ledge.

"They don't know why you sent your sons here, do they?" he asked, meeting the Clan cats' eyes. They looked away when they saw the intensity. Finally they met her own. She blinked at him. He wouldn't, would he?

**_-L-_**

Toadheart meowed, "He said, 'You sent your sons here to take over the Clans for you. You wanted to be here when they succeeded so you could clean up all the traitors and half-Clan cats in ThunderClan. You didn't want me coming here to stop it. StarClan knows all about it Holly. Dewstep told them. Now do you think I could leave you so you could really do what you wanted?'" Toadheart paused to get breath. "It's no lie. That's exactly what he said."

"What happened?" Ivyflight found it hard to talk. Dewstep had been part of Hollyleaf's . . . takeover? She'd trusted him.

"The Clan is still in turmoil over that," Toadheart answered, looking out the entrance. Ivyflight looked with him. Now that she could see and pay attention, she heard the angry shouts. It was close to a battle out there.

"Firestar was too shocked to say anything, Hollyleaf said Raven was lying, Cloudtail seems to want to help Hollyleaf, and the half-Clan cats want to kick her out."

"Quiet!" Firestar was yelling, trying to gain control again before blood was shed. Sandstorm, Brambleclaw, and Brackenfur helped him restore the order, but Ivyflight could see the separation. Cloudtail stood with his own group, Daisy and her children were with another, and Redstrike and Needlefur seemed to lead their own.

"Now," Firestar meowed with forced calm, "Hollyleaf, is this true?"

She was still sitting on the fallen tree. Thorn had been protecting her from the more hostile cats. Raven had been forced to stay near the entrance. For once, Ivyflight could see where the lines in the Clan were. ThunderClan might be torn apart in this instant.

* * *

**Everyone, vote for Dovetooth's power on my profile. Only two people have so far, and it's tied!**


	34. Chapter 33 Betrayal

**Chapter 33**

Hollyleaf stared up at Firestar. He hadn't moved from the High Ledge. For once she saw that he was serious and actually angry.

"I am not here to ruin the Clan," Hollyleaf meowed. "I want to be a member again. It's been too long. I've been with rouges for too long."

"But you sent your sons here to be your forerunners?" Firestar demanded.

Hollyleaf nodded.

"No wonder Darkfire was willing to rip Needlefur to shreds," Daisy meowed.

"Don't talk that way about my son," Hollyleaf hissed at her. The creamy she-cat shrank away. Her children hissed at Hollyleaf.

"Why didn't you come to our Clan yourself?" Firestar asked. "You could have come with Dewstep and Darkfire. We would have welcomed you. You didn't have to send them to RiverClan first."

Now what could she say to that?

"I didn't know if you'd want me back," she meowed quietly.

"Why?"

The Clan waited for her answer.

"You all thought I was dead. And I'd just revealed Leafpool's and Crowfeather's secret. What else was I supposed to think? That you were proud and would make me deputy?"

Firestar didn't want to accept that. Neither did the rest of the Clan. The way she was defending herself didn't sound right to them.

"Raven, how do you know this?" he turned to the tortoiseshell.

Hollyleaf didn't like this at all. Raven would do anything to keep her. He would certainly make sure ThunderClan didn't trust her again even if she was allowed to stay.

"When I was will her, she spoke all the time about ThunderClan. She was angry that her family kept disobeying the code. She said how she would make sure you were punished. That was one reason I left her. I couldn't stand it anymore."

"You would punish us, Hollyleaf?" Firestar asked.

Did he know that he was pressing her? Of course he did, but she knew better. She wouldn't answer out of anger or frustration.

"You are listening to a rouge you met three days ago," Hollyleaf meowed calmly. "He abandoned me and my kits. How can you trust what he says when he only wants me back?"

"We can't trust you either, Hollyleaf."

Hollyleaf was shocked to hear the voice. She looked and saw her brother's side by side. It had been Lionblaze who'd spoken.

"You can," Hollyleaf meowed.

Jayfeather shook his head. "StarClan has warned me of this. Dewstep confessed everything to them and they know your heart. You would force our Clan to follow the code, even at the cost of cat's lives. We'd become like ShadowClan that way."

"You always believed the code was important and the only thing," Lionblaze meowed. By now all the cats were staring at the brothers as they betrayed their sister. "You ran into that cave to escape the guilt you felt for disobeying it."

"I never did," Hollyleaf protested. But her voice wasn't as strong. She knew that whatever she said, her brothers would still go on speaking.

"You tried to kill Leafpool because she had a mate in WindClan," Jayfeather meowed.

"But worst of all, you killed Ashfur for no reason," Lionblaze continued. By now the Clan listened in shocked silence. Hollyleaf had killed? "He was going to reveal the secret and you didn't want him to, so you silenced him. But in the end, you told the Clans anyway. What was the point?"

"I-I," Hollyleaf couldn't say a thing. The Clan had turned their eyes upon her. Some were hate filled, others held sadness, and more were just confused.

"Hollyleaf," Firestar meowed. "Your own brothers say this against you. I can't trust you as a member of this Clan. Raven, take her with you she isn't a member of ThunderClan any longer."

"You aren't going to even punish her for killing Ashfur?" Dustpelt called out. He was pressed against his mate, Ferncloud, who was devastated.

Firestar shook his head. "Our Clan is too divided for even that." He looked down at them forcing them to notice their split. "If I punished her, there would be no point.  
She is Raven's. I have my Clan to bring together again. I don't have time to think about a cat who would rather have most of you dead."

Hollyleaf stared as Firestar walked back to his den, leaving the Clan behind him. Thorn was nudging her away. Raven quickly came to help him. They wanted her out before the Clan turned on them.

Hollyleaf went with them. She had finally been cast out. It had been what she'd feared for so long. That she wasn't a member of anything. She stared at her brothers who'd betrayed her. They simply stared at her like they had the last time she'd left them. But this time, they were not horrified, just disappointed.

"But I can't leave," she meowed. "I'm one of the Three. There isn't a prophesy without me."

But she noticed a light grey she-cat come to stand beside them. Dovetooth, a kin of Firestar, stared at her. It was then Hollyleaf knew she'd been replaced. Fury didn't enter her, just utter sadness. She was nothing anymore. All of her plans had crumbled around her. No cat was left to stand beside her or to help her again.

Now she was out of the camp. She listlessly let Thorn and Raven push her along. All of her family had betrayed her now. Lionblaze and Jayfeather had confessed her killings and Dewstep had given her plans to StarClan. She could only be with Raven who'd forced her from her Clan. She stared over at him, but she couldn't summon any anger. She'd always loved him, and unfortunately she had to forgive him. She'd always wanted him with her, and he'd found away.

"Wait!" a voice called after them.

Thorn and Raven quickly turned around, ready to defend Hollyleaf if they had to.

"We're coming with you!"

Hollyleaf turned too. There were young cats coming after them, Redstrike and Needlefur in the lead. Finally Hollyleaf realized why StarClan had wanted Raven to become a leader. They knew cats from ThunderClan would join him. They wanted to still be there to guide their descendants and to make sure the new Clan followed the code.

Raven looked like he might object, but after looking at Redstrike and Needlefur one more time, he sighed and nodded.

"Come on." He then led the way back to RiverClan to get his other cats.

Redstrike, Needlefur, and other young cats that had never had a secure place in the Clan came with them. Hollyleaf wondered why they came. They knew what she had done, so why did they trust being with Raven who was willing to have her with him?

She didn't know the answer for that, but she looked back at the ThunderClan camp she'd grown up in. Dewstep was still there and she had a feeling the Clan wouldn't be happy with him. She was glad Darkfire had gotten out while he could. She'd have to find him before anything bad happened to him. For once she'd have to help Raven. She'd have to tell him the quickest way back to Tanglewood. At least he was still here beside her. He had a caring heart, she realized. Just like Dewstep. She bumped into him, flashing him a smile. He looked at her in surprise.

"You aren't mad?" he asked quietly.

Hollyleaf thought. "A little," she confessed. "But if Jayfeather and Lionblaze knew what I was doing, how could I have ever succeeded? It is better this way. Even if I'm not part of a Clan anymore."

Raven didn't know if he believed her or that she'd forgiven him but he nodded.

"You are part of a Clan," he told her. "My Clan. We will be leaders together."

"StarClan won't be with us," Hollyleaf meowed.

"We will make our own StarClan," he answered.

* * *

**Can Hollyleaf be trusted? What will ThunderClan do with Dewstep?**


	35. Chapter 34 Firestar Questions

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to my return reviewers who got this story pass 100 reviews:_ VioletRose52, xX-PeaceLoveWar-Xx, Icethroat21, flamestreak64, Warriors--Skywing, Silverstorm of RiverClan, Dovekit, Shadedgladejfx, Brackenfurlover, Juniperwing, Allygirl56, _and_ Fluffy Lady.

_And to the new: _Jayfeather Fan 19

* * *

**Chapter 34**

Dewstep was surrounded by cats. It was almost night but these cats wanted to speak with him. Dewstep was worried. He'd thought he heard a battle going on outside and Ivyflight hadn't returned with food, but with Firestar, Brambleclaw, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Toadheart. At first Dewstep had wondered where Hollyleaf was, but Firestar explained that she and Raven had left. Dewstep felt disappointed. Why hadn't Hollyleaf said goodbye? Why hadn't Raven?

"We want to talk to you about Hollyleaf," Firestar meowed.

He felt apprehensive. Talking about Hollyleaf was still odd to him. She hadn't ever wanted him or Darkfire to, but the Clan already knew she was his mother, so it couldn't hurt. He waited.

"We've discovered that Hollyleaf . . . wanted to take over our Clan," Firestar meowed slowly, glancing at the other cats as if to make sure he was saying the right thing.

Dewstep stared. They knew? Was that why Hollyleaf and Raven had to leave quickly without visiting him?

"We know that you were involved," Firestar meowed. Dewstep could hear the disappointment and it made his ears burn. "We need to know what you've done to help your mother."

"Nothing," Dewstep meowed. Oh how he wanted to say more, how he hadn't made up his mind for so long. How Graystripe had helped him. He'd told this all to  
StarClan, but here, back in his body, he couldn't speak very well and that was punishment to a cat that liked to. Dewstep knew his voice was getting stronger, it had been about a quarter-moon since his injury, but he couldn't say long or complicated things before his throat started hurting. He wondered how long it would tak for him to heal all the way.

"How could you do nothing? It was almost three moons you've been with us," Firestar persisted. "We need to know what you've done. I need to bring my Clan back together."

"What we need to know is if you're going to continue to do what Hollyleaf wants," Ivyflight meowed before Dewstep could answer.

He finally noticed that she was being cold. She hadn't laid back down with him or licked him on his head. At first he just thought she was trying to be polite for the guests, but now he could see something was wrong.

"No," he answered her. He looked into her eyes, hoping she'd understand what he couldn't easily say. She looked away from him. It seemed as if she didn't even want to listen. "I did . . . nothing." He looked at Firestar. He wanted someone to understand that he didn't want to ruin the Clan.

Firestar continued to look at him. Dewstep noticed the sadness in the leader's eyes and he saw the tension. "I want to believe you, but I also wanted to trust Hollyleaf. Based on what your brother was doing, I think he was helping Hollyleaf. I don't know if you tried to either."

"I don't," Dewstep meowed. "It's . . . wrong."

"What's wrong?" Brambleclaw asked. "The code?" he seemed to be challenging Dewstep.

"No." That wasn't what he meant. Dewstep felt flustered. He couldn't even explain himself. Why wasn't Raven here? The tortoiseshell could have explained. They spoke about it before Jayfeather showed up in StarClan to bring him back. There was no one to help him, Dewstep had been abandoned by anyone that could have vouched for him. "What Holly . . leaf wanted," Dewstep meowed.

That had their attention. He saw them raise their ears a bit higher. He realized they were willing to listen to him. He just had to say the right things. Later, when he  
could talk better, he would be able to explain himself. He d just have to do the best he could until then.

"The Clan . . . and code . . . are StarClan's," Dewstep continued. "Hollyleaf . . . Darkfire . . . and me . . . have no right . . . to restore . . . it. I never . . . tried."

Well that wasn't completely true. He'd made an attempt of some sort until he knew it wouldn't work. But perhaps he hadn't tried that well. His heart had never been for restoring the code after he was accepted by the Clan.

"Is that all?" Firestar asked. He seemed a bit happier now, but the leader also was still weighted down. Having Hollyleaf betray the Clan like that had been hard on all the cats, but now Firestar had to bring them together and about five of the young cats were missing, Redstrike and Needlefur among them. Firestar didn't like to believe they'd actually gone with Raven and Hollyleaf.

"That's all," Dewstep promised. He looked over at Ivyflight. Did she believe him? She looked at him and then away.

"Ivyflight?" he asked.

"I have to think," she meowed and quickly left.

Dewstep felt like his heart was broken. She didn't believe him and now she'd never trust him again.

"Get better," Firestar meowed. "We'll talk then. Brambleclaw, Jayfeather."

The leader flicked his tail and the two cats followed. It seemed Lionblaze was left to guard Dewstep.

"I believe you," Toadheart meowed, ignoring the warrior. "I was with Raven while you were in StarClan. They told me you weren't bad."

"Why didn't . . . you say anything?" Dewstep asked.

"You had to do it yourself," Toadheart shrugged. "But I'll tell them now. Wait!"

The black and white apprentice ran after the three cats. They stopped just before they got to the entrance.

"Dewstep won't do what Hollyleaf wanted," Toadheart meowed. "He just wants to be a ThunderClan cat and follow the code. StarClan knew all about what Hollyleaf was going to do because Dewstep told them. They told me that he would be a good member of our Clan. They also said we had to concentrate on Sol."

"Sol?" Firestar meowed, shocked. "He's back?"

"Yes," Jayfeather's ear twitched at his apprentice. It seemed as if he hadn't told his leader about it.

"Hollyleaf was the cat that followed him, wasn't it?" Toadheart asked, looking at them.

Jayfeather frowned. It seemed as if he didn't know.

"She wouldn't follow him," Brambleclaw said doubtfully. There were many things they thought she wouldn't do.

Lionblaze and Dewstep waited for the answer.

"You never know," Jayfeather finally meowed. "There might be more."

"We'll talk about this in my den," Firestar meowed, looking at the medicine cats.

Jayfeather nodded and then motioned his apprentice to walk before him. They were soon out of sight and hearing.

Dewstep looked after them. He had a feeling he was no longer under suspicion. Firestar didn't think he'd do what Hollyleaf wanted. And if he had, Sol was more important. Had Hollyleaf actually listened to the loner? Dewstep didn't know, but she'd always talked about him with scorn. He didn't think it was likely that Hollyleaf had followed what Sol wanted. Why would Sol want to take over the Clans?

"You aren't like your mother, are you?" Lionblaze asked.

Dewstep blinked. What kind of a question was that?

"Could you . . . get some fresh . . . kill?" Dewstep asked.

Lionblaze seemed annoyed that Dewstep hadn't answered, but he went to get something.

* * *

**Who wants me to put up cat allegiances?**


	36. Chapter 35 Sol's Return

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

**Chapter 35**

The RiverClan cats accepted Raven, Thorn, and Hollyleaf back. They must have thought the ThunderClan cats were just an escort and were irritated when the cats insisted they were coming too, but they let the cats come to the camp.

Leopardstar confronted the ThunderClan cats while Raven went to speak with his cats. He found some of them sitting where he'd left them. Others seemed to be missing.

"Where are Spark and the others?" he asked them.

"They went on a patrol," Stub answered.

"With RiverClan?"

"Who else," the silver tom answered some what sarcastically.

Hollyleaf noticed Raven ignored that. Instead he seemed worried. She realized he wanted to leave quickly. Probably before RiverClan found out the reason Hollyleaf had been cast out of ThunderClan.

"I have some news for you," Raven finally meowed. "When the others come back we're going back to our forest."

The cats seemed happy about that.

"I do have to talk to you about something," Raven continued. "We are having extra cats come with us." He twitched an ear at the ThunderClan cats. "Also, I want us to follow the warrior code more than we have."

The cats stared at them. One bristled.

"I've come to realize the code is efficient for large groups of cats. We are becoming bigger and more cats will want to join us. I promise that I won't force you to follow this code if you don't want to. I won't be that kind of leader. My word will not be law."

"But we'll take care of each other?" a tom asked.

"Yes," Raven answered.

"We'll being prey back in a pile and feed everyone? Will we have mates and kits?" Riddle insisted.

"Yes," Raven promised.

"Good," Riddle looked over at a black and white she-cat. They blinked at each other.

Hollyleaf noticed the she-cat was starting to show her pregnancy.

The rouges eventually left RiverClan after Raven thanked Leopardstar for taking care of his cats. She asked for news from ThunderClan since the only things the cat who came from there would say was that they were leaving the Clan. Raven told her that Dewstep was recovering from an injury and that the rest of the Clan was fine. He didn't say how the Clan was split into fractions and that he'd taken one of the fractions with him.

As they left, a few young RiverClan cats joined them. They thought they might like to be in another Clan. Because they came along, it meant Raven's rouges would have to follow the code a bit more closely. These cats weren't willing to get rid of everything. Not every cat that had originally been with Raven was happy. But many were willing. They'd lived in RiverClan long enough to take on the same views as Raven about Clan life with the code. They saw the benefits.

Hollyleaf was actually looking forward to living in a new unnamed Clan. They might not follow the code correctly, but she was sure she could get them to eventually. She still didn't understand how Raven could be a leader without his nine lives. He told Hollyleaf, on the way to RiverClan, that they wouldn't tell his experience with StarClan to his cats. They wouldn't understand and they didn't have to know what he was giving up. Little did he know they'd follow him for anything.

Hollyleaf led the way with Raven. She'd confessed to him there was a quicker way to their forest. She told him she'd lead him there. So they walked to the Horseplace. On the way, Hollyleaf was scanning the horizon. She saw a cat in the distance. It was sitting, watching them.

Hollyleaf scented the breeze to see if she could identify it. A familiar smell came to her and she could finally recognize the brown and white pelt. It was Sol.

Hollyleaf growled low. Too low for Raven to hear. She didn't like that tom. He'd told her what to do, how to control the Clans. His advice hadn't worked. As always, the rouge lied. She wished him pain when the Clans caught him. She turned away and walked beside her mate to their home.

_**-L-**_

Darkfire was home. The familiar trees soared above, their leaves changed and falling. The air was colder, but it was still the familiar place he knew. Darkfire padded through the trees to Hollyleaf's camp. On the way he caught a mouse. For the first time since he hurt his brother, he relished his meal.

Darkfire licked his lips and continued to walk. He made it to the camp. No one was there. Darkfire paused. She could have been on a patrol. He waited for a while as sunhigh became evening. She should have been back now. He got off of the grass and went to the bramble bush they called their nest. She wasn't there.

Darkfire sniffed the bedding. It was old and no longer soft. He couldn't smell anything. There was a faint smell of Hollyleaf, but nothing was recent. She hadn't been here for a while. Darkfire suddenly felt alone. She wasn't here. He'd run back to her, but she wasn't here. He couldn't tell her about Dewstep. He couldn't tell her her hopes of restoring the code was finished.

The black tom felt worried. What if she'd gone back to the Clans? She could have passed him on the way and she could have already been there. He looked back to the direction he'd come. Should he go back? Should he make sure the Clans knew what she was doing.

Darkfire felt guilty. For almost killing his brother (who he didn't know if he was still alive), for leaving Dewstep to face the Clan cats alone. Dewstep would have to explain everything to them. About Hollyleaf and about what Darkfire was doing. Darkfire didn't want to go back to that, even to be with his brother. He didn't want to have them staring at him with hate. He didn't want them distrusting him for trying to take over the Clans and for being a killer's son.

"Oh, StarClan," Darkfire meowed, staring up into the darkening sky. Silverpelt was starting to show. "I don't know what to do."

* * *

**That was Darkfire's last appearance. If he was your favorite character and was the only reason you read this fanfic, you can say how mean I was to not have him as a main character anymore.**

**This was also Hollyleaf's and Raven's last apperance until the epilouge.**


	37. Chapter 36 Forgiveness

_Disclaimer: Warrior by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to the reviwers who have taken the time to read and review to the end: _VioletRose52, Allygirl56, Brackenfurlover, Dovekit, and Icethroat21_._

_And thanks to those who read at a slower pace or are just starting: _Fluffy Lady, KrspaceT, and Dorsi's Quill_._

_To _Brackenfurlover:_ Doing a sequel about Darkfire might be fun. I'd have to come up with an idea about it while I was on vacation. I am placing Darkfire in the epilouge, that's what I meant to say in the last chapter, so you will see him again. So do you think I should start his story while he's in ShadowClan, or after he leaves ThunderClan?_

_To _Dovekit:_ I don't have a lot of time to make an allegiance, so if you'd PM me one, I'd make corrections and post it in the front. You don't have to though, and making you do the work would be mean of me, but I can't get to it at this time._

_I'm finally back. Here it is, the rest of the story:_

_Hey, one more thing, since Dewstep has to stay in the medicine cat den, another cat will take over the story on occasion._

* * *

**Chapter 36**

A day after speaking with Firestar, Jayfeather had a meeting with Lionblaze, Dewstep, Ivyflight, and Dovetooth. It was about Sol.

"We need to find him and get rid of him," Jayfeather meowed. "Before he can convince other cats to follow him."

"None of the Clans trust him," Dovetooth argued. "They won't listen to him."

"There are individuals that might," Jayfeather told her. "Like Hollyleaf did. They might like his advice."

Lionblaze nodded.

Dewstep just looked down. Why did they have to bring Hollyleaf up? He gave a quick glance at Ivyflight. She hadn't spoken to him since learning what Hollyleaf had planned to do. She didn't look at him now. Instead she remained silent, looking at the pool in the medicine cat's den.

"So we need to stop him," Jayfeather meowed. "Any suggestions?"

"We have to find him first," Lionblaze meowed. "It would also be helpful to know who the Third is."

He rested his gaze on the two sisters. Dewstep wondered how they didn't even believe he could be the Third. Apparently, ever since he overheard them talking about it, they must have thought he couldn't be their Third. Not after the accident. He was still too weak to get up and walk, so he couldn't be of any use to them.

"It can't be me," Dovetooth meowed, looking at Dewstep, wondering if he knew what they were talking about. "I don't have any powers."

"It can't be me," Ivyflight protested as the brothers looked at her. "It just can't be."

"Too bad StarClan just won't tell us," Dovetooth meowed.

"They don't know either," Jayfeather told them. "We have to find out."

"We don't know what the powers are anyway," Lionblaze meowed. "One of you could have anything."

"Both?" Dewstep suggested, drawing their attention. "Couldn't both be?"

Lionblaze and Jayfeather thought about it.

"No," Lionblaze shook his head. "They both couldn't share a power. The prophesy wouldn't be about three cats then."

"He's right," Jayfeather meowed.

"Do we even need to know?" Dovetooth asked. "I mean, we should just look for Sol. It shouldn't matter who the Third is."

"But it will," Jayfeather meowed. "Eventually we have to know. Whether Sol is the danger we are meant to protect the Clans from, or something bigger. This could just be the test that helps us figure it out."

"When should we go?" Lionblaze asked.

"We could go tonight," Jayfeather meowed. "Toadheart can look after Dewstep."

The apprentice was currently searching for herbs. It was the only way to make sure this meeting was private.

While the four other cats planned what they'd do, Dewstep wondered what made them think they had to do it. They were planning behind their leader's back. They thought they were the only cats that could do this. He didn't agree, but he wouldn't protest. What sort of thing could he do that would make them realize it wasn't their place? And what if it was their place? They were the Three. This might have been their purpose. He couldn't tell them otherwise.

Ivyflight was remaining silent. She didn't add much. Dewstep had a feeling she didn't want to go. He didn't want her to either. He wanted her to stay with him and keep him warm.

"Ivyflight?" he asked quietly. She was standing as far away as she could from him, but she heard him over the other three. She looked up at him and then quickly turned away.

"Ivyflight," Dewstep meowed. He knew his voice was filled with agony. She was purposefully ignoring him. His love didn't want him anymore.

By now the other cats were paying attention to the other two. They glanced between Dewstep and Ivyflight. Dovetooth started to walk to her sister, but the tabby saw her and quickly left the cave.

Dewstep felt miserable. Ivyflight had been so nice to him while he was in the Clan and he slowly got to liking her, but now that he felt free to have a mate, she wanted nothing to do with him. None of it was his fault, why was she avoiding him?

"We'll go tonight then," Jayfeather meowed. He then went to the front of the cave to sort through herbs.

Lionblaze shared a glance with Dovetooth and then he left the cave. Dovetooth got to guard Dewstep now. He knew it wasn't because Firestar didn t trust him. He was too wounded to get up and run or cause trouble, but Firestar didn't trust all of his cats. They might want to hurt Dewstep or get him out of the camp. Many didn't trust him after what they'd heard yesterday.

"She'll get over it," Dovetooth meowed.

Dewstep glanced up at her and then stared back at his paws.

"She loves you," Dovetooth continued. "She was so scared when she thought you would die."

"Now she hates . . . me," Dewstep meowed quietly.

Dovetooth was silent for a while. "She doesn't hate you. If she did, she wouldn't ever come near you or check on you. She loves you deep down. She's just uncertain.  
She's mad that you were going to do what Hollyleaf had planned, and she isn't sure she should trust you. But she still loves you."

"I want her . . . to trust me," Dewstep felt his throat tighten. It wasn't because of his wound, but because he was sad.

"That will take time," Dovetooth soothed. She laid next to him like she used to when she had wanted him for a mate. Now she didn't feel that way about him. It was odd, but true. Whatever love she had for him was gone. She was concerned about him and her sister. Why didn't Ivyflight realize how sweet Dewstep really was?

**_-L-_**

Ivyflight went hunting to forget her feelings. She didn't like these feelings. She loved Dewstep, but he had betrayed her Clan. He'd wanted to help Hollyleaf take over and cast out all the half-Clan cats. Cloudtail, her grandfather, wasn't even a full Clan cat. Ivyflight's best friend Bumblethroat was half-Clan. If Dewstep had succeeded, the Clan she knew wouldn't be there. It probably wouldn't be there tomorrow.

The Clan was still divided, and now that the missing cats hadn't come back, things were worse. Many cats thought they'd left of their own free will, but other believed those cats, since they'd gone with Hollyleaf, were planning to come back and attack. The Clan was still big, but their numbers had lessened with the disappearance. WindClan might get bold. The half-Clan cats were still against those few in the Clan that wanted it to become pure again. WindClan and any other Clan would be able to tear ThunderClan apart if they struck now.

Why does everything have to happen at once? Ivyflight asked as she stared up into the leaves that fell around her. Dewstep had been hurt by Darkfire, Hollyleaf comes back and it's discovered she was a killer, the Clan is against itself, and Sol was coming back. It would almost seem StarClan was against ThunderClan.

Ivyflight spotted a squirrel among the leaves. She started to stalk it. She was close when a dark tabby appeared and startled it away as he tried to kill it.

"Foxdung," Brambleclaw spat, tail lashing.

"Oh," Ivyflight squeaked. She hadn't expected him.

He heard her and turned to face her.

"Ivyflight," Brambleclaw meowed pleasantly. "I almost had it."

She simply nodded. She was starting to turn away, to continue to think and to hunt, but he caught up to her and walked next to her.

"What are you doing out here?" he asked. "Is Dovetooth with you?"

"No," Ivyflight shook her head. "She's back at camp. Are you on a hunting patrol?"

"Not really," the deputy meowed. "I decided to come on my own. I needed to get away from camp."

Ivyflight nodded in understanding. It was stressful to be there. Tensions were high. Firestar and the senior warriors were trying to calm it down, but too many cats were refusing to be forgiving or understanding.

"Have you caught anything yet?" she asked.

"No. You?"

She shook her head. She really hadn't been hunting much, just thinking even if she hadn't wanted to.

"How did-" Ivyflight stopped. She really didn't want to offend him, but she really wanted to ask something.

"What?" Brambleclaw asked when she didn't continue after a while.

Ivyflight didn't want to say 'nothing' and let him forget, but she was too embarrassed to go on. Why did she have to go to another cat and explain her problem?

"How did Squirrelflight get over you being Tigerstar's son?"

The deputy's eyes hardened and Ivyflight felt chilled.


	38. Chapter 37 The Third

_Disclaimer: Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_What will Brambleclaw say to Ivyflight?_

_Thank you Flamestreak64 for correcting me. Briarclaw has been changed to the correct gender now._

* * *

**Chapter 37**

Ivyflight might have taken back the words and asked for forgiveness. She didn't want to bring back hard, hurtful feelings or memories. However, Brambleclaw was the only cat in camp that could be compared to Dewstep. He was a killer's son. Tigerstar, like Hollyleaf, had tried to take over the Clans. Ivyflight had to know how Squirrelflight had known to trust the dark tabby and to become mates. What made the ginger know Brambleclaw wouldn't take after his father?

"It took her a long time," Brambleclaw finally meowed. "She didn't like it when I tried to be friendly with my half-brother. She was right, but at the time I didn't know it. She finally did accept it, though."

"But how did she know she could trust you?" she asked desperately. Maybe she should have been asking Squirrelflight these questions.

"I don't know," Brambleclaw answered. "But at one point she did. Cats make mistakes, Ivyflight. You might think you can trust a cat one moment, but then they seem to betray you and you don't ever want to trust them again. Sometimes it's right not to, but others, that cat really is sorry."

It was odd, but Ivyflight had a feeling he was talking from experience. She felt her fur prickle uncomfortably. She didn't want to bring up a bad memory he might be having.

"Forgive, Dewstep," Brambleclaw finally meowed. "If he truly isn't meant to be here or doesn't love you, he will leave. It isn't likely he'd ever further Hollyleaf's plan. More than likely another cat will." The tabby sighed.

Ivyflight suddenly remembered that Hollyleaf had been considered his daughter for so long. Maybe Brambleclaw felt like she still was. It must have been a disappointment that Hollyleaf was willing to do what she had. Ivyflight couldn't imagine one of her kits doing that. She twitched her ears suddenly. She'd been imagining a small little gray with green eyes. The kit looked just like its father.

"Did you need to know anything else?" Brambleclaw asked.

"No," Ivyflight meowed. "I'm sorry if I offended you."

"You didn't," Brambleclaw meowed. "I think you were right to ask. Just give Dewstep another chance. I don't think he knew any better until he came here. Hollyleaf could have told him anything. I'm sure he won't turn out like her."

"Thank you," Ivyflight murmured as the deputy walked away to hunt some more.

Ivyflight sighed. Now she had to go back to camp. She had to speak with Dewstep. She was still a bit uneasy that Dewstep perhaps wasn't changed, but she was willing to give him a chance. She wasn't sure she could live a life without him.

********

She didn't get a chance to see him until that night. She entered the medicine cat's den. Everyone else was waiting for her.

"Here," Jayfeather meowed.

She looked down. A pile of herbs was there.

"What are they?"

"Herbs for strength," Jayfeather meowed. "You don't know where you could go."

"Aren't we returning in the morning?" she asked.

Lionblaze shook his head, "No, we aren't stopping until we find him."

"I'll say StarClan told you to go if any cat asks." Jayfeather meowed.

"Wait," Ivyflight had caught something, "aren't you coming too?"

"I'm blind," Jayfeather shook his head. "I could go with you, but you'd be watching out for me all the time, not looking for Sol. I'm going to have to stay."

"Toadheart is going to stay as well," Dovetooth meowed. The black and white apprentice was sleeping. Ivyflight wondered how.

"Poppy seeds," Jayfeather meowed as if reading her mind. "We can't have him interfering. Now eat your herbs."

Ivyflight obeyed.

Dewstep opened his eyes. Ivyflight was surprised. She'd thought he was sleeping. He watched her for a bit then closed them again with a sigh. Ivyflight suddenly worried that he'd given up on her. She was going to assure him she hadn't, but just then Lionblaze meowed, "Let's go before the guard gets suspicious."

Dovetooth was in Ivyflight's way. She couldn't get to Dewstep to lick his head or give him any sign she still loved him. Lionblaze, too, was crowding her out.

Ivyflight turned and led the way out. Tonight Briarclaw was the guard. Ivyflight wasn't certain they could get around her, but Dovetooth strolled up to her and started a conversation. Lionblaze quickly made for the tunnel. Ivyflight hurried after. She didn't know if they'd gotten away.

Lionblaze led her into the forest until they got far away from the camp. There they waited for Dovetooth.

"Does she know where we are?" Ivyflight asked.

Lionblaze nodded.

They waited in silence after that. The cold leaf-fall air was starting to show their breath.

Finally Dovetooth showed. She looked like a warrior of StarClan. Her fur glowed under the large moon. Ivyflight suddenly worried their group would be spotted by Sol or other cats.

"Now we need to find Sol," Lionblaze meowed. "Any ideas?"

Ivyflight did wonder how they'd find him. The land around the lakes was a big area and it would be dangerous to trespass into another Clan's territory. Sol could be anywhere.

Dovetooth thought about the question as well. She thought of Sol and what he'd like to do after he entered the territory. He probably would contact a cat first to see what was going on. With the picture of Sol firmly in her head, Dovetooth felt the tugging. It was deep inside her and it almost startled her, but she could remember feeling this way before. When she went hunting. She'd usually find prey when other cats couldn't. She trusted this feeling now.

"This way," Dovetooth meowed and turned to face the lake.

Lionblaze and Ivyflight shared a look. How could Dovetooth know where to go? But the two followed her anyway. They didn't have any ideas.

* * *

**Sorry for the shortness, but the rest will be the same.**

**Thanks to the voters who had Dovetooth's power be to find anything she wants how ever far away it is.**


	39. Chapter 38 Getting rid of Sol

_Warriors by Erin Hunter_

* * *

**Chapter 38**

Firestar came in the next morning. Jayfeather was helping Dewstep eat since Toadheart was still sleeping.

"Three of my cats are missing," Firestar meowed when Jayfeather turned around to face the leader. "Those three were in here last night and then never went back to the warriors' den."

Jayfeather remained silent until Firestar meowed, "Where are they?"

"StarClan has sent them on a mission," Jayfeather answered. "They are looking for Sol."

"The Clan doesn't even know about Sol yet," Firestar hissed in irritation. "That would just make the rift bigger. Why did you send them out to get him?"

Jayfeather frowned at the leader. Dewstep remained unmoving so he wouldn't attract Firestar's attention. The leader was frazzled. He was trying to keep his Clan together by they didn't want to. Now more cats had disappeared.

"It wasn't me," Jayfeather lied. "StarClan chose them to find him. What they do with him afterwards is their decision. I don't think they'll bring him back though."

Firestar stared at the medicine cat.

"They won't kill him." He shook his head.

"Hmm," was Jayfeather's only comment. He turned back to Dewstep.

"Jayfeather, where are they?"

The medicine cat shrugged. "I don't know. And they'll be back when they get back."

"And what am I supposed to tell ThunderClan?"

"The truth."

Firestar stared at Jayfeather again. Then he sighed and left.

"Despite what he thinks," Jayfeather murmured to Dewstep, "This will bring the Clan back together. They don't trust Sol one bit."

Dewstep didn't know what to think of that, but he hoped ThunderClan would get along again. He didn't think he could bare it if his coming had torn apart a great Clan.

**_-L-_**

They found Sol just outside of RiverClan territory. Ivyflight and Lionblaze realized Dovetooth had been right and then they agreed Dovetooth had to be the Third. She had the power to find Sol, so who knew what else she could find.

At first Lionblaze was reluctant to confront Sol if he hadn't done anything yet, but Ivyflight and Dovetooth convinced him that what Sol had done in the past gave them the permission to attack him now. So while the sisters watched, Lionblaze challenged Sol and the two toms fought. Of course Lionblaze was never defeated in battle and Sol gave up.

The three escorted Sol back to camp but on the way they got to talking. They ignored Sol most of the time, but he still tried to speak with them about how he could help them and how StarClan was wrong.

"We can't take him back to camp," Dovetooth meowed. "WindClan will probably spot us and then they'll attack. They think we're on his side anyway."

Lionblaze and Ivyflight nodded.

"We could kill him ourselves," Ivyflight suggested.

They looked over at the tom. He was limping heavily. He couldn't run away from them so they were safe for now.

He looked up at them, too exhausted to speak. His eyes seemed to say he was amused by them. They weren't going to kill him despite the order given at one of the Gatherings that if he was seen he was to be killed.

"ShadowClan," Dovetooth meowed simply.

The other cats turned back to her.

"ShadowClan can deal with him. We know they don't like him so instead of taking him back to ThunderClan we should give him to ShadowClan. They won't likely do what he wants again."

Ivyflight nodded.

"That would be wrong," Lionblaze argued. "You and I both know they'll kill him. That isn't any different from us killing him ourselves."

"No, it wouldn't," Dovetooth argued. "We don't know what ShadowClan will do or how. We won't be the ones getting blood on our paws. Let's leave him for ShadowClan."

Ivyflight agreed. They wouldn't kill him and this was the only way to make sure Sol never threatened the Clans again. Lionblaze reluctantly allowed them to take Sol to ShadowClan lands.

A patrol seemed to be waiting for them. The ThunderClan cats handed over Sol to them. Instantly, Ivyflight knew ThunderClan had a better relationship to ShadowClan. The cats took Sol away. Now the tabby tom looked worried.

Lionblaze led the way back to camp. It was only midmorning now. They hadn't been long away from camp.

They got to camp as Firestar was just ending a meeting. He saw the three and called them up to explain what had happened. Ivyflight let Dovetooth and Lionblaze go ahead, and then she ran off to the medicine cat's den. The Clan could wait. She had to speak with Dewstep.

* * *

**Aww, Ivyflight still loves Dewstep. And now Sol is gone. Next chapter is the last: cry, scream for joy, or say "Finally" or "no! keep going!"**

**If you want to know how Sol is really defeated, please read Erin Hunter's fourth Warrior's arc.**

**My first plan was to jump from after Hollyleaf is cast out to the epilouge, but I had to get Ivyflight and Dewstep back together, and I did have you vote for Dovetooth's power, so I had to put these in. Sorry if it's a lame ending, but I had to finish before I left for the Summer.**


	40. Chapter 39 Epilouge

_Warriors by Erin Hunter_

_Thanks to _VioletRose52_ who seems to be reading as I post. I guess I'll give you a Dewstep and a Brambleclaw (he is your favorite right?) plushie._

_To everyone else: Think this was a long story? Falling Smoke by Moonstar of Fireclan has 42 chapters and it's complete._

* * *

**Chapter 39: Epilouge**

**Some moons later**

A gray tom with a scared throat stood above a queen who had just given birth. His name was Dewstep. Luckily, Firestar wasn't the kind of leader that changed cats' names. Dewstep could have been called Clawthroat then or any other absurd name. Firestar didn't like changing names. Not after what happened to Brightheart. That queen and Brindlekit gazed on the new arrivals. They were precious looking kits.

Dewstep smiled at Ivyflight. His mate was wonderful. She smiled back at him and then looked at the suckling kits. There were three of them.

Frostkit was a white she-cat with a gray sheen like Dovetooth. But this little kit had silver tabby markings on her legs. Dewstep thought she was the prettiest she-cat kit there ever was.

Fallingkit was a light brown tabby like her mother, but she had gray markings on her chest, belly, and legs. She was a perfect combination of Dewstep and Ivyflight. When Dewstep gazed at Fallingkit, he remembered the prophesy StarClan had told him: "A falling star will lead the shadows into light." He didn't know what it meant, but he knew his daughter would do great things. He hadn't told Ivyflight about the prophesy, but she'd named her kits the right names.

The kit that held Dewstep's attention the most was a black tom. Nightkit. He had faint stripes on his tail and his eyes were a combination of yellow and green. He reminded Dewstep of Darkfire.

Dewstep wondered where his brother was. He hadn't seen Darkfire since the day Darkfire had almost killed him. Dewstep wanted to see his brother again, but short of leaving ThunderClan to go looking for him, Darkfire would have to come back to face Dewstep before the brothers would meet again.

Dewstep sighed.

"What's wrong?" Ivyflight asked, suddenly worried.

"Nothing, love," Dewstep told her and nuzzled her head.

_**-L-**_

In a forest days away from the lake, another Clan was celebrating a birth. It was Raven and Hollyleaf. They'd had more kits together. Like the kits, their Clan was thriving.

Raven and Hollyleaf led their Clan back to Tanglewood. They never did agree on what to call their Clan. The other cats couldn't agree either, but they did agree on what their camp would be called. It would be Summerheat Camp. Because in leaf-bare, the cats were longing for summer, for greenleaf. They wished it was warm again. Fortunately they made it through their first leaf-bare together as a Clan.

Riddle's and Shadow's kits had been born during the harsh winter. They survived and were the Clan's joy. They were the promise that the warrior code would be upheld in the place far from StarClan. Until Raven and the others created their own.

Darkfire found that he was almost relaxed in this new Clan as he'd been in ShadowClan. The cats here were trying to fit together with their different, independent natures, and they also had other problems. The cats here had physical deformities and Darkfire didn't seem odd when he didn't talk. Of course there was one cat who didn't like him.

Spice. That gray and ginger she-cat who could no longer be considered a rouge. She didn't seem to forgive Darkfire for the scars he'd given her. She made Darkfire feel guilty, because when he looked at her, he saw Dewstep and the other scars he'd left. Darkfire knew his brother was alive. Hollyleaf had told him. Of course both of them didn't know what had happened in ThunderClan after they left. Dewstep could have been kicked out, but since he hadn't returned to Tanglewood, they believed he was still alive and still a member of ThunderClan. Hollyleaf seemed to believe he had a mate.

Darkfire didn't know and he was still trying to get up the courage to see his brother again. He wanted to see Dewstep and to ask for forgiveness, but he was reluctant to leave his new Clan. He'd been running away too much. After finding himself alone in Tanglewood, he'd left for a while. He didn't come back until after leaf-bare and it was then he'd seen Hollyleaf and the new Clan and decided to stay. He couldn't leave it behind. But Dewstep was still on his mind.

* * *

**The end. Perhaps a sequel suggested by Brackenfurlover, but you'll see what happens. Anyway thanks to all you readers and reviewers who stuck through the story and loved it. Thanks to everyone who will read it in the future. Keep writing your own stories.**


End file.
